Pure

In Psalm 24, we see a listing of qualifications for coming into the presence of the Lord:
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

In Psalm 51:10, the Psalmist writes:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

The Word of God is a cleansing agent - as we approach the Scriptures, personalizing them and applying them to our lives, we can experience the transformation of our thinking, the "renewing" of our mind, as Romans 12 says.  But, we have to do more than engage in casual reading; it's so critical that we allow the Word to penetrate our consciousness and be yielded to the Spirit of God to do His awesome inner work.

+++++

A well-known singer and actor posted two pages of her Bible on Instagram recently.  In the post, she made reference to these verses, from Proverbs 4 in the New Living Translation:
13 Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.
And...
20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

I think that overall, American Idol has brought to the fore so many talented artists, including a number of them who profess faith in Christ.  In fact, on Faith Radio, you can hear music from Mandisa, Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh, and others.  Recently, a former competitor, Jasmine Murray, was in our studios. Phil and Chris were both Top 10 contestants during Season 6, along with other professed Christians Melinda Doolittle and...the winner, Jordin Sparks.

As I recall, it seems that year Melinda might have been considered the favorite, but Jordin ended up in the finals with Blake Lewis.  And, Jordin has had quite a bit of success as a pop singer, with hits such as Battlefield.  And, something distinctive about her was her wearing of a purity ring, pledging abstinence until marriage.  So devoted to that topic, when British comic Russell Brand poked fun at the Jonas Brothers at an MTV awards ceremony in 2008, Jordin from the stage defended them, according to MTV.com.

Of course, of the three Jonases, Nick and Joe have both shed their purity rings, and Kevin is now married.  Jordin, well...a piece on the Empowering Everyday Women website, which is a site oriented toward Christian women, said about a TODAY show interview:

In 2012, Sparks first showed signs of wavering on her purity commitment during a Today Show interview. When asked about it, she said, "You know what? I switch it from day to day — I don’t wear it exactly everyday anymore, but I always have something there."

She added, "When I was 13 my mom spoke to me about purity and waiting for marriage and different things like that. And, you know, at the time I was like, ‘Sure that’s great,’ but I can’t say what’s gonna happen a couple of months from now. People grow.”

EEW alleges that Jordin left her commitment behind when she fell for singer Jason Derulo, and the two had a three-year relationship and moved in together.  The article reported on an encounter on Wendy Williams' talk show:

“Are any one of these rings the purity ring?” questioned the hostess who popularized the phrase, “How you doin’?”

Seeming momentarily startled, Sparks quickly flashed all ten of her fingers, smiled and gave a quick head shake, confirming the ring was no longer there.

Well, apparently, even though there have been public displays that have been inconsistent with a Christian perspective, Jordin apparently is spending some time in the Word.  Faithwire.com just published one of her Instagram posts, showing two well-marked Bible pages from Tyndale's The Wayfinding Bible.   Here's part of her post:

SO MUCH WISDOM! PLEASE READ THIS! 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Take hold of my instructions; don't let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.' Proverbs 3:5&6, 4:13 & 20-23 . . I remember seeing my parents & grandparents Bibles marked up like this when I was younger. I've only had this Bible for a little less than a year & I look at the pages of mine now & I understand. These are so much more than words. It's amazingly overwhelming and I cannot fully explain it. Everyone takes their own unique journey. It's filled with experiences that are joyous, difficult, easy and painful. But somewhere along the line, after many experiences, they finally 'wake up.' I love the expression: "When a man's Bible is falling a part, the man isn't." I'm awake Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Be encouraged today. Grab that Bible off the table & dive in! Please share!

Something I say, and I think this is so true in this case - you never know how God might be working in someone's heart.  And, it can be discouraging when you see high-profile people who seem to be wandering from their declared faith walk.  But, we can be confident that the Holy Spirit is at work, and we can pray for the people we know who don't seem to be walking it, either.

As we pray for others, especially those who might have strayed, we can pray for a tender heart, for openness to the Holy Spirit, for the strongholds of the enemy to be pulled down and for God to reveal Himself in a powerful way.  No one is beyond the grace of God.

And, we can pray concerning our own shortcomings - because we are human, we are, as the hymn says, "prone to wander."  We have to continue to trust in the Lord and guard our own hearts, as those verses Jordin quoted command us.

Oh, and by the way, purity is one aspect of God's best for us.  That can be true for a single person who is facing relationship issues.  And, for everyone, we can strive to keep pure hearts before the Lord, knowing that leads to pure actions.

And, a footnote: Jordin Sparks has been cast in a forthcoming film called, God Bless the Broken Road, from God's Not Dead director Harold Cronk, according to Deadline.com.  It is described as a "faith-based film" that "is about a grieving widow named Amber whose husband was killed during combat in Afghanistan and now faces financial and spiritual challenges while raising her young daughter, Bree."   Lindsey Pulsipher plays Amber and Jordin plays one of her best friends, Bridgette. Makenzie Moss, who played the young girl Lily in Do You Believe? has been cast in the role of Bree. The film is due out next year.

Sinful Cities

We have been called to follow Christ, and we have been placed in a city or a geographical region, in a workplace, a church, a civic organization, in order to bring honor to the name of the Lord. Titus 2 says:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

So, no matter where you might find yourself today, in what short-term or long-term condition of life, you can glorify the Lord right where you are.  You have been placed in a community, within a group of people, and God desires to use you to make a statement for Him.  Imagine how our cities, towns, and counties would be impacted if we live our lives in the way He instructs us.  We can call on God to use us right where we are and yield to the leadership of His Spirit to produce the fruit He desires.

+++++

There's a passage I came across in Jeremiah 29, where the Lord gives His people direction - the Jews
were held captive and taken to Babylon, and through the prophet, the Lord spoke:
4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.
6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished.
7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

So, the Lord is saying to the people that they were allowed to be taken to Babylon for a purpose, that they were to live their lives according to His plan, and even though they were strangers in a strange land, they were to pray for the peace of the city in which they lived.  In this world, we are aliens and strangers, but we are called to live our lives and to pray, I believe, for the cities in which we live.

The list of Most Sinful Cities for 2016 has been released by WalletHub, and it should come as no surprise that the municipality known as "Sin City" is #1 in the survey - that's right, Las Vegas came in first.  But, how does one measure the sinfulness of a city?   WalletHub says they did it by taking "the 150 most populated U.S. cities" and then using "27 key indicators of evil deeds."  Cities were measured in 7 different categories, "1) Anger & Hatred, 2) Jealousy, 3) Excesses & Vices, 4) Avarice, 5) Lust, 6) Vanity and 7) Laziness."  Las Vegas was #1, San Jose (CA) was #150.

So, here are some examples:

To measure "Anger and Hatred," one of the indicators selected by the researchers was "Violent Crimes per Capita." For "Jealousy," one was "Thefts per Capita." For "Excesses and Vices," an indicator was "Excessive Drinking" - Montgomery was actually tied for 144th in that category.  The category of "Avarice" was measured by, among other criteria, "Charitable Donations by Income" - Montgomery was tied for 147th, meaning that was among the highest, the most generous.   All in all, Montgomery was 85th nationally, and the "least sinful" among the four cities in Alabama on the list.

Montgomery did well in the overall "Avarice" category, placing 144th, but in the "Laziness" category, it placed 2nd nationally.

You had a panel of researchers that analyzed some questions relative to the data.  According to WalletHub's summary, some of the questions included: "To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings?"  Another was "What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture?"

A glance at some of the comments indicate that there was a thread among some of the experts that sinfulness is defined by cultural norms.  You do have to hand it to WalletHub to actually point out behaviors that could be considered "sinful" - that shows some moral clarity, there.  But, it is misguided to say that societal norms are determined by the democratic whims of the masses. For instance, permissive sexuality seems to be more accepted these days, but the Bible's position against adultery, fornication, and homosexuality, just to name a few, has not changed, despite the trend of society to embrace these harmful behaviors.

I do think that the overall spirituality of a region can affect the practice of sinful behaviors. Just for fun, I compared the top 5 in the WalletHub survey to the survey released last January by the Barna Group and the American Bible Society regarding the most and least Bible-minded cities in America.

The #1 WalletHub city, Las Vegas, was 95th out of 100 metropolitan areas in the Barna research.  #2 in sinfulness, St. Louis, was barely in the top half of Bible-mindedness, at 46.  Cincinnati was third in the sinful rankings, 35 in the Bible survey.  #4 sinful was Orlando, which was 63rd in Bible-mindedness.  And the #5 city regarding sinfulness, Springfield, MO, was actually just outside the top 10 in the Bible survey, at #11.  The #1 Bible-minded area, Chattanooga, TN, was 37th in the sinfulness survey.

So, any correlation might be considered non-scientific, based on these surveys, but we know that worldview can shape attitude, which is related to action.  It is important to recognize that we have to make sure that our definitions of right and wrong correspond to those found in the Bible.  Try as they might, humans don't have the right to change definitions of sinful behavior just because they may be "outdated" or are no longer the "majority opinion."  God's Word is a prescription for living a satisfying life, a life that pleases Him and reflects His nature.

Whatever

In the book of Titus, the apostle Paul opens up by reinforcing His spiritual credentials, which are predicated on His relationship with God and His call on his life:

1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,
2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior...

There's a common word in our culture that is rather annoying to people, according to a recent poll - it's "whatever."  And, unfortunately, that has become an expression of the viewpoint of many.  The word communicates a lack of clarity and conviction.  Christians are not "whatever" people; Paul's opening of the book of Titus can remind us that we can acknowledge God's truth and embrace His hope.  He cannot lie, and we can rely on what He has said and done, and be encouraged by what He has done and is doing in our lives.  He is our rock, and he provides a firm foundation for us.

+++++

Hebrews 6 addresses the concept of Biblical hope, which gives us something to hold on to when we
feel unstable:
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,
12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

In the same chapter, this hope is described as "an anchor of the soul."

The Marist Poll has announced its most annoying word of the year used in casual conversation, and a repeat champion has been announced.  Think a comic-book and movie star cat, and you'll have this year's word - yes, Garfield's favorite, whatever.  The Washington Examiner states:

"Whatever" has been used by both sides in the political wars this year, each meaning to dismiss the other side's legitimacy. It is the word used often by the comics character Garfield.

According to the survey summary:

“Whatever” irritates 38% of Americans followed by “no offense, but” with 20%. “You know, right” is irksome to 14% of residents nationally as is “I can’t even,” 14%. “Huge” grates on the nerves of 8% of Americans, and 5% are unsure.

But, last year, "whatever" was an annoyance to 45% of those surveyed. And, the older an American is, the more annoyed he or she is, apparently, by that word. 49% of Americans 45 years of age or older believe that "whatever" is the most annoying, but only 27% of those under 45 mention "whatever." For those under 30, "I can't even" takes the cake.

Broken down by race, 57 percent of African-Americans are annoyed by the word, with 42% of Latinos and 35% of white possessing that view.

In an article on the Focus on the Family website, Lindy Keffer says:

In a society where ultimate truth is treated like a fairy tale, an outdated idea or even an insult to human intelligence, the motto of the day becomes, "WHATEVER!" Believe whatever you want. Do whatever seems best to you. Live for whatever brings you pleasure, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. And of course, be tolerant. Don't try to tell anyone that their whatever is wrong.

"Whatever" is a word that lacks moral clarity, and it is a word that is used to put down the viewpoints of another.  When someone says "whatever" to something you say, it is definitely not a word of affirmation.

But, we do live in a world that is seemingly adrift, and maybe the word "whatever" annoys people because it is counterintuitive for those who are searching for an anchor for their lives.  I think deep down, we want security, and to dismiss that need with a casual brushing-off with an attitude of "whatever" can be troubling.

As Christians, we can present a different point of view.  For one thing, where there is a lack of clarity, or ultimate truth, the Bible teaches us that our God can provide an anchor for us.  The Bible tells us that hope in Christ is an anchor for our souls.

Also, if we are aligned with truth, then we recognize that we are creations of God and we have innate worth because our lives have been created and ordained by Him.  We can come to God and be totally transparent with Him, realizing that He will not reject us or cast us out of His presence if we approach Him with a humble heart.  In a culture that is all-too-quick to dismiss the viewpoints or opinions of another, sometimes in haughty and harsh ways, we can know Jesus, who is gentle and humble in heart.

In an age of carelessness, Christians can be seen as the people who care.  We are not the "whatever" people; we are the "forever" people.  Because we embrace the truth about Jesus, and have experienced His unlimited love, we can know who we are and where we are going.  We have lasting hope, and we can effectively radiate that hope in Christ as we reach out for His stability.

Breaking News

There is a clear difference between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom contained within the Scriptures, and we have to be so careful that the two are not confused or intermingled.  Colossians 2
says this:
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

So, there is a contrast between the "basic principles of the world," and the principles that are "according to Christ."  And, it is incumbent upon us as believers to developing the discernment to know the difference.  Our viewpoint can become so clouded when we allow the mindset of the world, of dependence on self, on human understanding, to cause us to drift away from the wisdom of the Scriptures.  We can learn to think spiritually rather than according to the natural inclinations with which we have to struggle.

+++++

In 1st Corinthians 2, we can read how the apostle Paul draws the contrast between being spiritually-
minded and thinking "naturally":
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

At the top of the informative and analytical website, GetReligion.org, there is a quote from William Schneider which says, "The press… just doesn’t get religion."  Compare that with a recent quote from the editor of The New York Times, Dean Baquet, as he went on National Public Radio.  The Get Religion site has it, along with some analysis.  Here's the quote:

I think that the New York-based and Washington-based too probably, media powerhouses don't quite get religion. We have a fabulous religion writer, but she's all alone. We don't get religion. We don't get the role of religion in people's lives.

This was quoted in a piece by Terry Mattingly, who runs the Get Religion site.  He quotes from Catholic Deacon Greg Kendra, who wrote on the Aletia.com site:

It isn’t that reporters don’t believe or practice religion – many of the people I worked with at CBS News were practicing Christians and Jews, with a significant number of the staffers Catholic – but their understanding of religion is generally not terribly deep. And they too often don’t know enough about any religion other than their own -- and don’t have the time or inclination to want to learn more.

David French, at National Review, is also quoted:

Baquet is right. If you don’t “get” religion, you can’t understand our country or the world. And yet, reporters and pundits too often cover religion badly, if at all.

The original sin of religion reporting is the failure to believe what religious people say. There’s always an “other” reason for their actions.

In much coverage of American Christianity, this mindset is obvious: You believe that God ordained marriage as the union of a man and a woman? Well, that’s just bigotry in search of a belief system, religion wielded as a club against the marginalized.

French also noted: "Our nation has consistently misunderstood the challenge posed by jihadist terror, too, in part because our secular leaders and reporters often don’t believe jihadists mean what they say."

And, I would contend that a news outlet or website that hires a religion editor and thinks that shows its sensitivity to religion is woefully inadequate.  Because religious faith is woven into the fabric of our country, journalists have to understand this is a critical component of people's lives, not a segment that should be separated. 

But, the hits just keep on coming...over at The Federalist, Josh Wester critiques a piece from The New York Times that showed a lack of understanding of how a person's Christian faith and worldview affects her approach to issues.  Regarding a Times op-ed about the nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, Wester says that the writer, Katherine Stewart, contends...

...DeVos and her husband, Richard DeVos Jr., have the audacity to claim that their efforts to improve the state of public education—promoting things like school choice and subsidiarity—flow out of their Christian faith.

Stewart classifies this as an “apocalyptic conviction.” We’re supposed to be in alarm because Devos has “singled out education reform as a way to ‘advance God’s kingdom.’ In an interview, she and her husband, Richard DeVos Jr., said that school choice would lead to ‘greater kingdom gain.’” This draws out the fundamental point. Progressives don’t get religion.

Wester notes that, "The DeVoses actually view their work as service to God. Although, as Stewart claims, this may appear “radical” or “extreme” to secularists and progressives, this is the very essence of what it means to be religious."  He also points out that charter schools and voucher programs, such as the DeVoses support, have historically been secular in nature. 

So, whether or not you support Betsy DeVos and her approach to education - and critics have not been enthused about her position on Common Core - it does appear that she and her husband are positioned as allowing their Christian worldview to inform their approach to issues.  And, this "journalist" apparently doesn't understand the integration of faith into policy, or faith into action.

And, just because an entertainment and lifestyle site puts the word "News" next to its name doesn't mean it's an accurate purveyor of news content.   That would be BuzzFeed News, which was up in arms about this statement from a longer message penned by the outgoing Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus and Co-Chair Sharon Day:

“Merry Christmas to all! Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King. We hope Americans celebrating Christmas today will enjoy a day of festivities and a renewed closeness with family and friends.

According to Get Religion, BuzzFeed News stated:

The combination of the words “this Christmas” and “a new King” had people wondering whether the GOP was comparing Donald Trump to, well, Jesus.

Terry Mattingly, who also wrote this article, said: "That led to all kinds of fun in the liberal blogosphere and the BuzzFeed team lined up the tweets in a festive parade of what had to be mock indignation."  Noting that this paragraph was part of a larger statement which included such topics as helping the poor and supporting the troops, Mattingly also wrote:

I would like to note that, while it's easy to read this as another example of journalists failing to understand "evangelical-speak" lingo, Priebus is actually active in a Greek Orthodox congregation – where the Christmas liturgies are packed with vivid language about the arrival of Christ the King.

Mattingly also inserted a tweet from Mark Hemingway, who is a writer for the Weekly Standard, who said: "COME ON. Between This And The HGTV Debacle, Buzzfeed Really Needs To Give Its Staff Some Basic Education About Christianity."  That reference to HGTV is apparently how BuzzFeed "broke" the story about "Fixer-Uppers" Chip and Joanna Gaines, who attend a church that believes what the Bible says about marriage...imagine that!

So, here we go with how there are those in the media who don't understand religion, basically, and it appears many in the media don't practice it very deeply.  What application does this have for us as Christians?

Well, for one thing, we can't expect people who are not spiritual to understand spiritual things.  I think that's a point you can extract from 1st Corinthians chapter 2.  We can't think Biblically unless we allow the Spirit to direct us - natural thinking will result in worldly action.  So, to expect people who don't claim Christ to "get" us may be a bridge too far.  But...

The good news is that through our witness and the work of the Spirit through us, God can penetrate the human heart, the realm of human understanding and cause the lights to come on, to draw people unto Himself, just as He brought us into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  The Spirit can break down the barriers, and He will use us to model His truth.

But, we have to be sensitive to how we speak and act around people that don't know Christ.  We can speak "Christian-ese" around a person and our words may completely miss their heart.  I think of the components of our own personal testimony, as we share what God has done for us through our relationship with Jesus.  And, we can mix our own experience with the powerful truth of the Word. So, the "what" refers to how God has worked in our lives, and the "why" is the truth of the gospel. And, we can be encouraged that the Word will not return void.  But, we can seek to "relate" to people rather that to "talk at" or even "preach at" them.

Finally, we can't expect the media to get it right, but we can keep making news.  And that "news" might get some press coverage, but generally it won't - because our ambition is not to be famous, but to make Him famous through the way we allow Christ to live through us.  And, sometimes the media, especially our local media who are closest to the action, will report things regarding religion accurately, and for that, we can be thankful!

Valuable (ADVENT-URE 23-25: Gold, Frankincense, & Myrrh)

The Bible teaches us that salvation is a free gift from God; it cannot be earned, only received.  By His grace, Jesus, through His death and resurrection, makes this wonderful gift available to us. Ephesians 2 says:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Because Jesus has given us this wonderful gift of salvation, we respond by surrendering ourselves to Him - our desires and our ambitions.  Because we recognize that His plans and desires for us are so much greater than we can arrange in our limited human wisdom, and greater than we can comprehend.  We receive His grace by faith, and we enter into a love relationship with our Savior. We honor our King and our Lord with worship, accepting His death so that we can enter into eternal life.

+++++

Today, we come to the end of our 25 symbols in our Christmas Advent-ure, because I want to take three items, three gifts, three symbols that remind us of various aspects of the nature of Christ.

In Matthew chapter 2, we read about these Magi who came from the East.  We pick up on their
story after they had come to King Herod.  They announced that they had come to worship the "King of the Jews:"
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Magi brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh - each of these had enormous significance relative to Jesus.  The gold has generally been thought to represent royalty - the Magi brought this gift as recognition of a King.  The frankincense, well, we see throughout the Scriptures that incense is used in worship, so traditionally, that gift was meant to show honor and adoration to this King.  And, finally, there's myrrh, which was used in the preparation of a body for burial - what a powerful way to communicate that Jesus was born to die, that He would give His life so that humanity might be freed from the chains of sin and death.

Three gifts - of incredible value - presented to Jesus by the wise men who had been drawn to see the Christ Child by a star in the East.  They were on a mission, orchestrated by God, to leave a lasting testimony about the meaning of Jesus coming to earth.

*****

The gifts of the Wise Men can remind us of what is important in life.  And, we recognize that life itself, as well as eternal life in Jesus, are very valuable indeed.

Actress Nicole Scherzinger recognizes the value of life. She is a voice in the Disney film, Moana, and is slated to star as Penny in the upcoming Dirty Dancing remake on ABC. But Nicole had to struggle with the role; you see, in the original 1987 film, the character survives a dangerous illegal abortion, according to a story on the Live Action News website, which reports that in a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Scherzinger "revealed the reasoning behind her pro-life views: she could have been aborted."

She admitted, “My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18,” adding, “She chose.” She said that her mother's parents were "never going to let her have an abortion." Nicole added, “So I came out, so I just want to you know [sic] encourage everybody to keep your babies.”

Regarding the role of Penny in Dirty Dancing, Scherzinger says: “So I got the role and I almost didn’t take it because I didn’t want to promote abortion,” she added, “because my character has an abortion.”  According to Live Action News, she took the role in order to impact others on the issue. She related, "hopefully they can learn from you know her ways and I can be a positive influence.”

Her grandfather, who is a preacher, prayed about the role and discerned it was what Nicole "was meant to do."  She said, “We decided that maybe I could be a voice,” adding, “that I could shed some light on the subject without being preachy.”

Contrast Nicole's stand on life with another actress, who has an opposite view. ChristianHeadlines.com reports that Lena Dunham, according to a People.com story, recalled on her podcast a trip she made to a Texas Planned Parenthood clinic. She was asked to share about her own abortion experience. Dunham said, "I sort of jumped. ‘I haven’t had an abortion,’ I told her. I wanted to make it really clear to her that, as much as I was going out and fighting for other women’s options, I myself had never had an abortion..." She said that "I was carrying within myself stigma around this issue,” adding, “Even I, the woman who cares as much as anybody about a woman’s right to choose, felt that it was important that people know that I was unblemished in this department.” She related that, “Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had.”

The Christian Headlines story states that Dunham did later post on Instagram that she "didn’t mean to trivialize the 'emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy.'"

Live Action News points out:

No woman ever wishes to be in the situation where they have to decide whether or not to have an abortion. It’s never a happy scenario. These are women who are scared, and hopeless. They’re often struggling financially, or coerced into undergoing the abortion. Some of them suffer for years after the procedure. No matter why a woman undergoes an abortion, what her reasoning is or how sure she is of her decision, it’s never a positive experience that she hopes for.

Together, I want to think about two valuable gifts.  One is the gift of life, the other is the gift of eternal life.  I think about that Focus on the Family vignette that we've been airing on Faith Radio, calling attention to a young woman over 2000 years ago, scared - and pregnant.   Mary was chosen to give life, to give life to the greatest gift of all.  She gave herself to God, and she was rewarded for her obedience. Regarding the gift of life, no one knows, other than God Himself, the potential of each child in the womb.  God has a purpose for every child conceived - He had a purpose for you; He had a purpose for Nicole Scherzinger, and He even has a purpose for Lena Dunham.  He has ordained all our our lives, and He desires for us to live for His glory.  Who are we, in our limited, fallible, human wisdom, to try to circumvent the plan of God for a human life.

We also reflect on another valuable gift - the gift of eternal life.  Our King, the one true King, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, symbolized by the gold of the wise men, came to earth.  As the frankincense reminds us, He was a man to be worshipped and adored, because He was the Son of God, the Son of Man the perfect substitute and sacrifice for our sins.  In order to be that substitute, He had to give His life, represented by the myrrh, the embalming oil, that the wise men brought.  We can think of valuable gifts offered by our Savior, and in response, we give ourselves to Him and bring Him honor, glory, and thanksgiving - He is the King who left His throne to die in our place!

Jesus Goes to Church (ADVENT-URE 22: Turtledoves or Pigeons)

The Christmas season gives us special opportunities to worship, to reflect upon God's Word, and to seek to reach out in numerous ways.  To me, it just seems like that all the references to the season are a reminder to us of the preeminence of Jesus Christ.  Psalm 95 offers a relevant invitation for us to enter into worship:
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand...

The story of Christmas is full of instances of worship.  And, when we consider that God sent His Son into the world, this gives us plenty for which we should thank Him.  Jesus came to earth to bring us salvation - He was born in order that He might die and rise again.  And, if we are saved, we know that we have been raised with Him and have the bright promise of spending eternity in His presence. So, whatever your local church worship experience might look like this Christmas, we can be challenged to have a heart full of adoration for our Lord!

+++++

We are continuing our journey, our Advent-ure, through 25 symbols relative to the coming of Christ an its significance, and today, the 22nd day of December, we see that Jesus was brought to the temple. This appears to be after 40 days.  In Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 22, we read this:
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

This is prescribed in Leviticus 12:8.

We also find that Jesus and his family had a visitor during their time in the Temple, a man named Simeon, who was devoted to the Lord, Who had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not
die until he had seen the Christ. He spoke over Jesus and said, later in the chapter:
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

Jesus was born as a Jew, and was engaged with the worship at the Temple.  At the age of twelve, we see that he was in Jerusalem talking with the wise elders there - he told his parents that he was about His Father's business.  We see in the book of Luke that after being baptized by John the Baptist and tempted by the devil, he "taught in the synagogues," and upon coming to Nazareth, He preached about what Isaiah had written - about Him!

So, one of the rites of the Temple was this dedication of a Hebrew child to the Lord, which was done according to God's Law.  The two birds - turtledoves or pigeons - are powerful symbols to us of obedience to the truth of God.  And, a little aside, when you read about the legend of the origins of the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, the "two turtle doves" are thought to refer to the Old and New Testaments, as part of the "code" that was being communicated in that song.

*****

Christmas Day is this Sunday, and while churches may adjust their worship times for that special day to accommodate families, a LifeWay Research survey indicates that a significant percentage of churches will be open this Sunday to celebrate our Savior's birth.

According to a Christianity Today story, "Nearly 9 out of 10 Protestant senior pastors say their churches plan to hold services on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, as both fall on a Sunday, according to a recent survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research."

Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, says, “Christmas is o­­ne of the busiest times of the year especially at churches, with many churches having extra Christmas Eve services and special programs,” and added, “If Christmas falls on Monday through Saturday, churches might be closed on December 25—but almost never on a Sunday.”

The article goes on to say:

The Christmas season has become a major outreach focus for many churches, with more than half of Americans saying they visit church for Christmas. Many of those who don’t go usually to church are open to an invitation during the holidays, according to previous LifeWay Research studies.

Also, according to the article, "More than 7 in 10 Protestant senior pastors say their churches plan to hold Christmas Eve services. And more than a few will be open on New Year’s Eve."

According to their pastors, among churches with fewer than 50 attenders, 84% will be holding services on Christmas.  85% of churches with more than 250 in attendance will hold services on Christmas, And, 92% of pastors of mid-size churches - with between 100 and 249 attenders - say their church will hold Christmas Day services.  The total, then: 89% of Protestant churches will meet on Christmas Day, with 85% on New Year's Day, and 71% on Christmas Eve.

These findings can also help us to think about some themes from the Christmas narrative.  First of all, Christmas is a time for worship.  All of the major players are depicted as participating in worship. And, even if your church may not be meeting on Christmas Day or you will not be attending, it is still important to incorporate worship in your Christmas celebration.

We also recognize that the ministry of Jesus included His teaching in the synagogue.  You might say that Jesus was involved in the local church.  And, not only that, but He had an outward focus beyond the Temple.  What a great pattern for us!   We integrate into the local church, but we also realize that we have been given a ministry in our communities.  And, in a relevant matter to Christmas, I read of a church that was cancelling services at Christmas in order to go out and serve the community.

Of course, we do have to guard against misplaced priorities, as an article from the satire site The Babylon Bee reminds us.  The piece announces:

Citing the great reverence and honor due the Lord Jesus on the traditional day celebrating His incarnation, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church confirmed Tuesday that their worship service would be canceled on Christmas morning.

“We want to show respect and adoration to our Lord on the day commemorating His birth,” pastor Kyle Redding told reporters. “So we’ll be calling off all the services in which we usually sing praises to Him and study His Word, in order that He’ll be more glorified.”

“Also, I’ll get to play with my new iPad that I just know my wife, Kate, got me. I felt the package. I’m pretty sure it’s the Pro edition.” Redding further stated he was pretty sure this is what Jesus would want on the day marking His taking on flesh and coming into the world to save His people from their sins.

“I can think of nothing more worshipful on the Lord’s Day than foregoing worship services in order to tear into gift after gift after gift from under our ornate tree.”

This Christmas, wherever you worship, make sure you focus on THE gift.

No Jedi Mind Trick (ADVENT-URE 21: The Shepherd's Staff)

I think it's instructive that the Lord chose shepherds to deliver His message to regarding the birth of
Jesus. Jesus referred to Himself as the "good shepherd" in John chapter 10:
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

The shepherds outside Bethlehem were entrusted with a special message, and they responded to the angelic visitation by travelling to Bethlehem, then spreading the news.  They understood concepts such as direction and devotion.  They followed their instructions, then upon beholding Jesus, they spread the news.  We can be challenged to spread what we have seen - God's handiwork in our lives becomes our testimony, and that can provide the basis for our proclamation of His truth.

+++++

The angels appeared to a group of shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem.  They proclaimed that in the city, a Savior had been born that night!  We pick up the Christmas narrative in Luke
chapter 2:
13 And 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, goodwill toward men!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."

Later in the chapter, we can read:
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

It's our 21st symbol pointing the birth of Jesus and its significance; another symbol in 25, my Christmas Advent-ure.  Perhaps the most familiar symbol associated with shepherds is the shepherd's staff, which can be for us an image that can remind us of the guidance that God wants to give us.

*****

The latest Star Wars film has hit theaters with a powerful "force," with Variety reporting that as of Monday, it had reached $323.5 million after opening late last week. Domestically, it had made $172.7 million in its first four days, and has crossed the $150 million internationally.

The article says that the parent company for the film, Disney...

...announced Monday that it had become the first studio to go past $7 billion in worldwide grosses within a single year. “Captain America: Civil War,” “Finding Dory” and “Zootopia” each topped the $1 billion mark worldwide.

According to Box Office Mojo, the film garnered around $155 million during its opening weekend domestically, which is way off from last year's The Force Awakens, which drew just south of $250 mil in its opening weekend.  By the way, Finding Dory is the top-grossing film of 2016, with over $486 million in the domestic box office.

So, Star Wars has withstood the test of time, and apparently a group inspired by the spiritual practices that are contained within the films has attempted to gain official recognition in the U.K. ReligionNews.com has "breaking news" that the Charity Commission for England and Wales made the announcement on Monday that it had rejected an application from the Temple of the Jedi Order for charitable status.

The applicants say that the temple would have furthered “the religion of Jediism, for the public benefit worldwide, in accordance with the Jedi Doctrine.” But, the Charity Commission concluded that Jediism was not established for “exclusively charitable purposes,” including, as the article says, "the advancement of religion and the promotion of moral and ethical improvement to benefit the public."

The Commission says that Jediism incorporates the mythology of the Star Wars films, along with other religious and philosophical tenets. The leader of the Church of Jediism in the U.K., Daniel Jones, told the BBC he was confident “Jediism’s status will change in the next five years.”  He says essentially that since Satanism and Scientology have the charitable status, so why not Jediism?

There are reportedly 177,000 Jedi in the United Kingdom, which the BBC says is a higher number than Rastafarians and Jains.  Atheists in the U.K. and Australia had begun to list "Jedi" as their religious affiliation a number of years ago.

We have to make sure that we are accurate and Biblical in the practice of our faith.  We can acknowledge that "Jediism" is patently unbiblical, but there are worldly philosophies that make their way into the church, diluting our faith and deceiving believers from the true picture of Jesus that we find in the Scriptures.  We have to be careful to follow the teachings of the Good Shepherd, as He leads us by His Spirit.  The Good Shepherd calls us into accuracy, rightly dividing the Word of truth.

We also recognize that the shepherds of Bethlehem were on the receiving end of the proclamation of the birth of Jesus, and they responded in worship and action.  When we receive the word or direction from God, it is important that we act in obedience - God will give us the capacity to comply with His activity.

And, when the shepherds had seen the Christ Child, they responded in worship and they shared the news about Who they had seen.  As we seek and see Jesus and who He really is, we can respond in adoration.  Christianity is not reduced to merely a religious practice or intellectual philosophy, rather it can be a vibrant relationship with a living Lord.  Because He loves us, we can respond with love toward Him and allow that love to motivate us to serve the people around us.

Wrapped Up (ADVENT-URE 20: Swaddling Clothes)

The Psalmist reinforces the importance of holding tightly to the Word of God in Psalm 119:
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!
12 Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes!
13 With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.

In the Christmas narrative, we read about how Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in "swaddling clothes." While we do not know and experience the physical Jesus, we do know Him as the Word who became flesh, and His presence resides in our hearts.  We can grow in our relationship with Him as we hold tightly to His principles, as we hold Him in high regard in our hearts.  We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices, renewing our minds through His Word.

+++++

God's incredible love gift to us was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, according to the Christmas narrative.  I have selected 25 symbols that remind us of the coming of Jesus and its significance - symbols from the Old Testament, as well as the Christmas narrative that we find in the New.  We began with the apple, the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, and highlighted the Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant...the robe of the priest to the red cord of Rahab.  The lamb that greeted Abraham and Isaac to the ladder Jacob saw.  In many instances, the symbols corresponded to people, people who presented themselves to God.

The theme Scripture for today is again Luke 2, verses 6 and 7:
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Mary wrapped her child in "swaddling" clothes.  The website, BabyCenter.com, elaborates on this practice:

Swaddling is the art of snugly wrapping a baby in a blanket for warmth and security. It can keep your baby from being disturbed by her own startle reflex, and it can help her stay warm and toasty for the first few days of life until her internal thermostat kicks in. It may even help to calm your baby.

Jesus, while totally God, was also totally human - he was the incarnation.  And, this extraordinary baby was treated in an ordinary, yet caring way.  And, as Mary took great care with her newborn child, so we can be challenged to take care of the presence of Jesus in our hearts, and to hold His principles very tightly.

*****

Several weeks ago, around Veteran's Day, I had on The Meeting House Dan Wallrath, who has an extensive background in construction.  He founded the organization Operation Finally Home, in order to help veterans and their families acquire housing.  His efforts yielded him the recognition as a CNN Hero.

The latest assortment of Heroes was recognized recently by the cable channel. And, the "Hero of the Year" said this in his acceptance speech, according to CNN:

"Today I realize God chose me to help children with disabilities and their families and build a chain of dreams. I am about to graduate as a lawyer, and I want to do more to change my country's laws."

His name is Jeison Aristizábal,  He is from one of the poorest areas in the city of Cali in Colombia. The CNN story said that: "waging a constant battle with cerebral palsy, the world seemed dead set against him."  He is quoted as saying: "When I was a young boy, a doctor told my mom that I would amount to nothing."

The story goes on:

Family support and a dogged spirit helped Aristizábal gain independence, and he set out to ensure other disabled youth could do the same. Launching a disability-advocacy foundation out of his parents' garage was one of the first steps in a journey that's taken him to law school and across the world.

Now Aristizábal has been named the 2016 CNN Hero of the Year for his work providing educational and medical support for youth living with disabilities in Colombia.  This 33-year-old has some insight about being a difference-maker: "Sometimes when we see a big problem, we feel like we can't do something," adding, "But starting with the little things, helping fix the little things, we can transform many lives."

The lesson, I think, is clear for us, as we seek to overcome our own challenges, our barriers to doing God's will, pushing through so that God might be glorified in each of us.

One of the things we can do is to recognize the call of God on our lives.  He has extended His love to us, and He has wrapped us up in His arms with great care, but also with a great calling.  He desires for us to yield to His Spirit so that He might be glorified in us.

And, we can regard ourselves as children of God through Christ.  We have to believe what the Bible says about Him - and about us.  We can take care to enter into that love relationship with Jesus and to be submissive to His direction for us.

Also, we can receive the power and principles of God in our hearts.  God wraps us in His love and grace and calls us to present ourselves to Him.  He also desires for us to exercise great care over what He has entrusted to us.  We carry with us the presence of Jesus, and we can be challenged to hold to His truth - tenaciously.

A Place of Hope (ADVENT-URE 19: The Manger)

In 1st Peter 1, we read about the certainly of what is called a "living hope" in Christ:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...

As we approach Christmas, I think it's important to dissect the concept of the hope with have in Him. The picture of Jesus in a manger is an image of hope - God became a man, sending His own Son to earth, so that in Him we might have new life.  Jesus humbled Himself, even to the point of death, so that we could be raised to new life in Him and have a relationship with Him through salvation.  The manger becomes a symbol of hope, of humility, of the humanity that Jesus took upon Himself so that humanity might be reconciled to God.

+++++

We are now into our final week leading up to Christmas on our Advent-ure this year, and on Day 19, I have another symbol for you, a powerful reminder of the birth of Jesus and its significance.  On Friday, the 16th, the symbol was the census papers.  The 17th symbol is the donkey, the accepted method of transportation for Mary and Joseph as they travelled to Bethelehem, according to the plan of God.  And, symbol #18 is Joseph's tools, representing a man who was chosen to fulfill God's purpose, to be the earthly father of the Christ child.

Today, we come to the manger.  Jesus wasn't born in a palace or a castle; rather, He humbled Himself, coming to earth as a man and being born in unpretentious circumstances.  In Luke 2, we
read this:
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The humility shown by our Savior is highlighted in Philippians 2:
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

The manger for us is a place of humility and it is also a place of hope.  The selfless actions of our Savior were taken so that in Him we might have life and experience the freedom that He brings.  The manger for us can challenge us to surrender to the love of God and to the lives of others.  It can also help us to think that we are hope-givers - bringing a lasting, unfailing, reliable hope.

*****

The story has been making the rounds this Christmas season of a Knoxville man named Eric Schmitt-Matzen - a column on the Knoxville News Sentinel website describes him, and he does seem to be like a consummate Santa Claus.

He’s professionally trained. Custom-tailored in red. Was born on Dec. 6 (that’s Saint Nicholas Day, of course; are you surprised?) Works approximately 80 gigs annually. Wife Sharon plays an authentic Mrs. Claus. His cellphone, with a “Jingle Bells” ringtone, continually counts down the days until Christmas. Even his civilian attire always includes Santa suspenders.

And, he does have an authentic white beard.  The story goes that he was called to a local hospital to see a young boy who was on the verge of death.  Schmitt-Matzen went into the Intensive Care Unit and gave him a present provided by his mother.  The weak boy opened the present and then asked the big guy a question.  Here's the conversation, according to what was in the newspaper column:

‘“They say I’m gonna die,’ he told me. ‘How can I tell when I get to where I’m going?’

“I said, ‘Can you do me a big favor?’

“He said, ‘Sure!’

“When you get there, you tell ’em you’re Santa’s Number One elf, and I know they’ll let you in.

“He said, ‘They will?’

“I said, ‘Sure!’

“He kinda sat up and gave me a big hug and asked one more question: ‘Santa, can you help me?’

“I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there. I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him.

“Everyone outside the room realized what happened. His mother ran in. She was screaming, ‘No, no, not yet!’ I handed her son back and left as fast as I could.

After this incident, Eric contemplated giving up playing Santa - he said he was a "basket case for three days."  Couldn't stop thinking about all the time for about a week or two.

Well, the story has taken a life of its own, and not necessarily in a positive way.  The online story now is preceded by this Editor's Note: "Since publication of this story, the News Sentinel has done additional investigation in an attempt to independently verify Schmitt-Matzen’s account. This has proven unsuccessful. Although facts about his background have checked out, his story of bringing a gift to a dying child remains unverified. The News Sentinel cannot establish that Schmitt-Matzen’s account is inaccurate, but more importantly, ongoing reporting cannot establish that it is accurate."

Oh, my!  And, people are speaking out to defend Eric.  Faithwire published a follow-up story, quoting Eric's friend Aaron Johnston, who wrote: “There has been fake news reports floating around about our friend Eric,” adding, “All of us beardsman and whiskerinas know him and know how great of a man he is.”  Johnston told the website, “He’s just a good, solid guy and there’s no reason to lie about something like that,” and added, “I have a little bit of faith that there is good news in the world … just because it’s nice doesn’t mean it’s fake.”

Another Knoxville media outlet has attempted to verify details of the story.  According to the Faithwire piece, television station WBIR reported on Thursday that it has been able to verify “several critical details of this story, but has agreed not to publish those for the sake of privacy.”

His wife said, that while he may have related to timeline incorrectly, “I know how he reacted that next morning, and this is something that weighed so heavy on him...I just know that he just needed time by himself to accept what happened because he obviously wasn’t prepared for a child to die in his arms.”

The story also says that:

Schmitt-Matzen has maintained that he will release the names of neither the family nor the nurse involved, with his wife saying the nurse is reportedly nervous that she could lose her job for bringing a non-family member into the ICU without getting the proper permission from the hospital, according to WBIR-TV.

So, at this point, this is a heartwarming Christmas story with an unusual twist.  I wouldn't be surprised if more information is released about this encounter.

This Santa was trying to bring a measure of hope to a dying child, and coming face-to-face with death had a tremendous impact on him.  Let's think together about true Biblical hope, which can be symbolized for us by the manger in Bethlehem.

For one thing, our hope in Christ is a lasting hope, and can bring certainty about eternity.   Because of what He has done for us, we can know that when we do get to heaven, if we have accepted Christ into our hearts, then we will be admitted to the place that He has prepared for us.  We don't have to guess about our eternal hope - if we know Christ and have accepted Him on earth, we will be with Him forever.

We also know that our hope in Him is an unfailing hope.  In times of uncertainty, we can know that He is with us always, that He lives in our hearts and He is there to comfort, strengthen, and guide us in our most difficult moments.  At all times, He is our companion, and the friend who sticks closer than a brother.

We can be convinced that our hope in Christ is a reliable hope.  We never have to question the story that is told in the Scriptures.  The Word of God is reliable; we know that the Nativity occurred, and the Biblical account of resurrection of Christ can inspire great confidence.  The redemptive story of Jesus has withstood scrutiny and challenge, yet, it has survived - because it's true!   The question for each of us is whether or not we believe in the living reality of a Savior who died for us so that might live.

God at Work (ADVENT-URE 16: Census Papers)

In Philippians 2, we can see a passage that can serve to remind us that God is working in and around
our lives:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

In the Christmas narrative, we see the short-term events as they unfolded, but they were part of a much, much broader story, one that had been pre-determined since before the creation of the world. The coming of Jesus wasn't merely a reaction to the sin of humanity, rather it was part of God's original provision, knowing the capacity that human beings had - and have - to depart from God.  So, God worked that perfect plan, culminating in the birth of Jesus.  Short-term, He orchestrated the events surrounding that birth - including getting Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to fulfill the Messianic prophecy.

+++++

The call was issued by the emperor of the Roman Empire - all residents had to return to the place of their birth to be registered. Luke chapter 2 says:
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary were in a city called Nazareth and set out on a journey to his birthplace of Bethlehem.  That's about 70 miles - by foot or, as we commonly think, by donkey.

On the 16th day of December, we pick up on another symbol that points to the coming of Christ and its significance.  Today, the census papers - the means of registration, how the Empire kept track of its citizens, or subjects.  Remember, the Scriptures stated that Jesus, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem.  But, Mary and Joseph were in another place; God had to get them to the right place for "prophecy to be fulfilled," as my friend Jimmy DeYoung would say - oh, and by the way, God is orchestrating world events even today to set the stage for the second coming of Christ, just as He did for the first coming of Jesus, who fulfilled hundreds of prophecies written about Him.

We can acknowledge that God is at work, moving in our lives, perhaps moving us to another place - physically and spiritually, in Him, so that He can fulfill His purposes.

*****

It was gratifying to me to see the list of Golden Globe nominees and see that a film that I have featured on The Meeting House win three nominations.  That would be Hacksaw Ridge, which was nominated for not only best drama, but its lead actor, Andrew Garfield, was nominated for best actor, and quite notable, the director of the most popular faith-based film of all time, Mel Gibson, snagged a best director nomination.  He had won the Globe for best director for Braveheart, for which he also won an Oscar.

Variety relates this:

The trio of nominations comes a decade after Gibson was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving and was caught on tape making anti-Semitic remarks to his arresting officer. He subsequently apologized following his arrest but was shunned during the awards season that year for his film “Apocalypto” and had not directed another movie until taking on “Hacksaw Ridge” in 2014.

“Hacksaw Ridge” centers on the story of Desmond T. Doss, the only conscientious objector to ever be awarded a congressional Medal of Honor for heroism. Portrayed by Garfield, Doss was a Seventh-day Adventist who became a medic while adhering to his religious convictions of not carrying a weapon. He saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

As I recall, it was thought that Mel Gibson would not work in Hollywood again because of the strong faith material expressed in The Passion of the Christ.   The unfortunate 2006 incident served to erode his reputation.  I don't know where Mr. Gibson is spiritually, but there certainly does appear to be a comeback professionally, with a film that contains a strong faith message.  You can hope that God is taking Mel to a new place in Him.

And, even Hacksaw Ridge star Andrew Garfield may be going to a new place spiritually. CBN.com reports that Garfield "will be starring as a Jesuit priest in director Martin Scorsese's new historical drama 'Silence,'" described as "a story about two Jesuit priests who face persecution as they search for their missing mentor in Japan."

The story says that:

Garfield and his cast mate, Adam Driver, were sent to a Jesuit retreat to prepare for their roles. Their days were immersed in scripture, Jesuit traditions, and prayer.

Garfield says the retreat gave him direction in a time of spiritual confusion. "I was filled up with all this information and all this longing to spread the teachings of Christ, which I truly started to adore," he told Hollywood Reporter.

But, Andrew certainly hasn't arrived.  He says: "I'm not a Christian person. I consider myself pantheist, agnostic, occasionally atheist, and a little bit Jewish, but mostly confused..."  But the story relates that, "Despite his questions, Garfield says his doubts drive him to understand the truth about God."

Oh, by the way, here is a another film that deals with matters of faith that is acquiring quite a bit of attention.  Hopefully, it deals with matters of religious practice in a much more respectful way that Scorsese's effort, The Last Temptation of Christ.  According to The Guardian, the new film was screened for 300 priests recently and the director had a special meeting.  The report says:

Nearly three decades after his film The Last Temptation of Christ was deemed “morally offensive” by officials in the Roman Catholic church, Martin Scorsese met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.

The American director, who is said to have considered joining the priesthood when he was a young man, met the pope a day after his new film, Silence, about Portuguese Jesuits in 17th-century Japan, was shown to an audience of 300 Jesuit priests at a pontifical college.

You don't know what God might be up to in these high-profile people's lives, but when there is a God-stamp that is present within current stories, we can be propelled to look at our own lives and consider important lessons.  First of all, we need to be responsive to the movement of God.  He may be prompting our hearts to action, or we may can even identify ways in which we are seeing circumstances lining up in our lives that may indicate that He is working.  I think we do well to acknowledge where we might see Him showing up.

And, we can consider that His work is in progress.  We may not see Him in apparent ways, but we can be confident that if we belong to Christ, then He is executing His plan for us and demonstrating His purposes.  That confidence can produce joy and expectations for us.  Mary and Joseph knew that God had made some pretty incredible promises to them, and their journey points out how God will orchestrate events in our lives, to get us into the right place, His desired place, so that He can be glorified.

Written (ADVENT-URE 15: Zacharias' Writing Tablet)

Jesus has come to establish a new covenant, a new relationship with God, a new mode of operation, through which fallen humanity can come before our Heavenly Father, because Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, removed the barriers through His death and resurrection.  In Jeremiah 31, we read:
31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

At Christmas, we can reflect on what is written on our hearts.  Jesus has come so that we might know Him and be brought back into fellowship with God, and He calls us to grow in that relationship.  If we allow the idle philosophies of this world to govern our hearts and minds, then we do not experience the fullness of the Christian life that He intends.  But, if we allow the Word to take preeminence in our consciousness, then we can know God better, hear from Him, and walk in obedience.

+++++

The father of John the Baptist learned an important lesson about not believing a word sent from God. You see, according to the 1st chapter of Luke, the angel Gabriel appeared to a man named Zacharias. The message included a number of points; among them: his wife would give birth to a son, he was to be named John, many would rejoice at his birth, he would be filled with the Holy Spirit, turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, and go in the "spirit and power of Elijah."

You would think that this local priest would be thrilled at such an announcement.  Actually, the response was seemingly less-than-appreciative...picking up in verse 18:
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.
20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

Uh-oh. And, it appears that Zacharias faced this affliction for some time, for a few months, until the child was born, and he remembered what the angel had said to him.
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."
61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."
62 So they made signs to his father--what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled.
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

The words he then spoke were very powerful, proclaiming the salvation that was to come through Jesus.

The moral of the story: when God sends you a message, believe it.  That sounds very simple, but we have to recognize that the Lord has spoken and continues to speak to His people.  We can choose to follow our own whims and desires, which will get us into trouble, or we can affirm what He has said and apply His truth to our lives.  Zacharias took his tablet and put himself in alignment with what Gabriel had said; and this can challenge us to embrace Jesus, the Word Who became flesh, the way, the truth, and the life.

*****

There is new research out of Canada that shows that the degree to which a church congregation believes the Word of God can determine how it grows numerically.  According to a piece on the website, Faithwire.com:

A new five-year study of Canadian churches has found a deep tie between theological conservatism and congregational growth — research that is sure to capture quite a bit of attention, considering the ongoing debate over Bible interpretation.

David Haskell, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the lead researcher, told The Guardian, 
“If we are talking solely about what belief system is more likely to lead to numerical growth among Protestant churches, the evidence suggests conservative Protestant theology is the clear winner,” adding, “(Growing churches) held more firmly to the traditional beliefs of Christianity and were more diligent in things like prayer and Bible reading.”

The Guardian also reported: “Ninety-three percent of clergy and 83 percent of worshippers from growing churches agreed with the statement ‘Jesus rose from the dead with a real flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb,'” adding, “This compared with 67 percent of worshippers and 56 percent of clergy from declining churches.”

Regarding reading the Bible, 71 percent of preachers from growing churches said that they read it daily, but only 19 percent from declining churches did.   In the congregations of growing churches, 46 percent read the Bible weekly, with just 26 percent of those at declining churches doing the same.

This is interesting material which can cause us to think about the importance of spiritual growth.  It also flies in the face of those who would embrace a philosophy that would say you need to compromise the message in order to attract people.  I believe that truth wins, and people can be won to embrace Biblical truth as the result of the selfless proclamation of it.

We can also examine what is written on the tablets of our hearts.  Do we dwell more on the ideas and ideals of the world, or are our thoughts controlled by and conforming to principles of the Scriptures?  Zacharias doubted the message sent by God and faced the consequences - those consequences were reversed when he wrote what the angel had said.  We must make sure that we are in line with God's truth.  And, don't miss that disobedience yielded trouble; obedience yielded deliverance.  If we are facing difficulties in our own lives, one reason, not the only reason, might be that we are walking outside of God's will.  We can ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and illuminate what is inside and to instruct us where we have missed the mark, so we can repent and get back on track.

A Clear Picture (ADVENT-URE 14: Coal from the Altar)

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born at Christmas, a prophet told His story; you could actually say that quite a few people were inspired to write about Jesus before He came to earth.  This one
prophet presents perhaps the broadest picture. That would be Isaiah, who wrote in chapter 53 of the book bearing his name:
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Isaiah also said that a virgin would give birth to a child and He would be called Immanuel - that name means, "God with Us," according to Matthew 1.  Isaiah shared the story of our Savior with clarity, and we need to have a clear picture of Jesus today.  There are many who tell of a Jesus who does not line up with the Biblical description, an accommodating Jesus who loves us but who does not require us to change, to conform to His standards.  We must search the Scriptures to discover the true Jesus and enter into the salvation He provides.

+++++

God wants to give us a clearer picture of Himself, and there are passages in the book of Isaiah that s
how us who the Messiah is - God revealed this information to the prophet for whom the book is named, and I want to turn your attention to Isaiah 6. Verses 1 through 3 are quite imposing:
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"

Isaiah goes on to describe his interaction with one of the angelic beings, and we pick up in verse 6:
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged."
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

A live coal was used to cleanse the prophet.  With cleansing came clarity, and later in his book, the prophet writes some breathtaking statements about the Messiah.  Isaiah 7 said that the virgin would give birth to a child and He would be called "Immanuel," which we're told in Matthew 1 means "God with us."  In Isaiah 9, we read that, "His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 53 describes the suffering that our Savior would endure for us.

The clarity of our Christian life is impacted by the cleansing that we experience.  If our desires are for the things of this world, and we allow the enemy to distract us, then we cannot see what God wants to do in our lives and we cannot fully appreciate Who Christ is to us.  I hope that through our Advent-ure together, we can be challenged to reflect with clarity on Who Jesus is and what He wants to perform in our lives.

*****

It's described on the Huffington Post website as perhaps this year's most viral Nativity scene. The story says: "It shows Joseph and Mary taking selfies with Baby Jesus, a shepherd checking his social media accounts and the Three Wise Men on Segways delivering gifts from Amazon.com. Yes, the cow is organic."

It is, wait for it, the Hipster Nativity Set!

Youth leader Mark Oestricher, on his website, WhyIsMarko.com, is cited in the article.  He has a piece called, "The 70 Wierdest Nativities (The Revised 2016 List)."  He says, "Funny thing is that even though it’s been sent to me by about 30 different people, I first saw it when its creators reached out to me, asking to be included in this year’s list! That was a first, and made publishing an updated list this year something of a non-negotiable."

When you visit the site, ModernNativity.com, you can meet "the cast."  It states:

Fresh off a Whole Foods shopping spree, Joseph is rocking his man bun and finest denim shirt, while Mary shows off her high cheek bones with her best duck face.

About the shepherd...

It wouldn’t be a modern day birth if at least one person wasn’t putting it on Instagram, and luckily, our teenage shepherd has it covered #babyjesus #nofilter. Next to him are some well taken care of animals.

The stable has a solar panel.  But, interestingly enough, there is not a mention of baby Jesus in any of the descriptions, other than the cast heading, "Mary, Joseph and Jesus," plus the aforementioned hashtag.

For a pricetag of $129.99, a person or family can have their very own Hipster Nativity Set - but hurry, there are less than a thousand left, the website says!

Well, as Marko and the Huffington Post remind us, there are a variety of nativity sets out there.  Some are creative, others are downright weird.  Can God use these to tell His story?  Absolutely.  Are some of them totally unbiblical, bordering on inappropriate or crossing the line?  Yep.  But, the central thread here is that people, commercially motivated or not, are looking for ways to express a very familiar and redeeming story.

We need to be reminded of the central scene in the Christmas story.  And, we don't stop there - we must pursue those two elements to which I referred earlier: cleansing and clarity.  Because, without the transformative power of God being released in our lives through Jesus who was born into this world, we cannot experience a relationship with Him - and that's the point, that's the story of the Nativity - redemption, salvation through Christ!

As we are cleansed by Christ, we gain a greater sense of clarity in Christ.  God wants us to conform our desires to Him, and that cannot be done if we are distracted by the lures of this world, the pursuit of worldly pleasure.   Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus are more than just a marketing tool; the scene at the manger brings us hope and signifies for us the way of salvation.

Take Aim (ADVENT-URE 13: David's Slingshot)

Jesus has come to set us free from the power of sin that holds us captive, so that we might enjoy the
newness of life and rejoice in His presence. Ephesians 4 identifies what we are to turn away from:
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ...

Jesus comes not to accommodate our humanity and our sin, but to liberate us from the evil desires that we experience.  We are all born with hearts that need to be regenerated, hearts that are intent on following the ways of the world or the flesh; we need a Savior who has taken aim at the power of sin and defeated it.  It's a goal of our Christian life, as His disciples, to identify those areas of our heart that are dark and held captive by the enemy, so that the power of Christ might be released and we can experience victory.

+++++

There was an intentionality that was present in the life of David and in the plan of God unfolding in him - and through him.  David's life was a marker in the genealogies that we read in the New Testament.  He was described as a "man after God's own heart," despite his flaws.

Today, as we continue this year's Advent-ure, I want to focus on one symbol of David's life that can be instructive for us and remind us of the significance of the coming of Christ.  We find the familiar story in 1st Samuel 17.  There was a giant named Goliath, of the Philistines, who was taunting the army of Israel.  The only person to respond to the one-on-one challenge was David - we pick up the story in verse 33:
33 And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,
35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."
37 Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!"

In verse 45, we read part of David's declaration:
45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

We know the rest of the story - David took his slingshot and five stones, but he only needed one to slay the giant.  God gave him abundant resources - more than was necessary.

David was a man who knew the power and the presence of God.  He was a mighty King of Israel, and we are told that Jesus would come to inhabit the throne of David, according to Isaiah 9:7, as well as the tabernacle of David (Isaiah 16:5).  His is a Kingdom that is not of this world.

Jesus won a magnificent victory for each of us.  He defeated the power of sin and death, and in 1st Corinthians 15, we read:
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

*****

David's slingshot, by which he defeated Goliath, reminds us of the strength and trust in God that he displayed.  Today, we celebrate the victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.   

I caught a story on the Mashable website regarding Apple's new collection of emojis for its latest iPhone operating system.  The article begins in this rather melancholic manner:

This hasn't been the easiest year. Luckily, we now have the perfect emoji to illustrate the feelings 2016 left in our cold dead hearts

Hidden among the 104 new emoji in Apple's iOS 10.2 update was a new spin on an old classic and it's already become everyone's favorite new emoji: the black heart.

The story goes on:

Also known as "dark heart emoji," according to Emojipedia, it "may be used to express morbidity, sorrow, or a form of dark humor."

It's also the perfect emoji for those who have had a rough time in 2016.

Boy, there are some happy thoughts for you.  The story also includes some Twitter posts endorsing the new emoji.  This illustrates a technique now in online news, where a handful of posts are used to illustrate a certain point and make you think that, well, "everybody" thinks a certain way.  It's a new and not completely accurate approach to news.

In two of the tweets, the phrase "matches my soul" is used in an endorsement of it.

Even though we may feel negative emotions, our hearts our heavy, or we feel darkness closing in around us, we can know that in Christ we can have hope.  And, I would note that we can also say that we have a "black heart," or a dark heart, because of...sin.

Jesus came to give us the victory over sin.  He defeated the power of Satan and has been raised to new life.  He wants us to share in that victory.  We are not called to celebrate evil, but to rejoice in its defeat.  David took aim at Goliath, he led his people to victory; Jesus takes aim at our enemy and leads us in triumph over the sin that would ensnare us.   At Christmas, we can reflect on the victory that He has won for us.