Tipping Point

    Children grow up so quickly. Where does the time go?  I wonder if Mary or Joseph thought something similar as they prepared for the Passover journey to Jerusalem that year. Jesus was 12 years old that year, preparing to transition into adult standing.  It is the time for sons to learn their
father's work.  The following year boys would be deemed ready to undertake the responsibilities of knowing and following the Law of Moses.

    Luke has done a good job of showing us the divine nature of Jesus' birth.  He has also shown us the human growth of the infant.  Here at the end of chapter 2, he introduces the direct concept that Jesus, son of the virgin Mary, is also Christ, Emmanuel God with us.  By now he has become aware of his unique birth and relation with Almighty God, though we are not given the details of when nor how this took place.

    The key moment came with the emotional background of a three day search for a missing son. At last Jesus is located in the Temple courtyards.  Mary can contain herself no longer. "Son, why have you treated us this way?" This is a completely understandable question. An urgent trip back to the city and a night with less than peaceful sleep was coupled with a desperate search in a large city.

    Then she said it. "'Your father' and I have been anxiously searching for you."  That was when Jesus reflected his tipping point. "Why would you search? You do know that I would be involved in 'My Father's' things, didn't you?"

    Here we find Jesus as a young man with a clear understanding and claim to be closely and uniquely related to Yahweh.  My Father stands in direct contrast with Joseph, his supposed father.

    We, also understand a direct relationship with God.  We connect with Him through Jesus the Christ. We are not divine, not gods. We are redeemed.  We are His people and as such, should be involved in His house and in His things.  We belong to Him and have a job to carry out in His Name.

For What Are You Looking?

 
The first week of the new year is finished.  How many resolutions have been abandoned, do  you suppose?  What if you counted one for the ever popular, growing number of people who abandon hope before they start?

     Many seemed to celebrate the exit of 2016 as much as the start of a fresh calendar.  Others are anticipating the coming events planned for this year.  What do you want to find in the new year?
 What do you hope for 2017? The future?  For what are you looking? Longing?  To whom or to what does your heart belong?

   Luke's narrative moves to some people who are seeking, looking for the consolation of Israel, the redemption of Jerusalem, the Messiah.  Simeon and Anna find Mary and Joseph in the Temple at Jerusalem.  They are excited to know this infant Jesus is the Anointed One.

    Simeon has received a promise from the Holy Spirit  Guided by the Spirit, he comes into the courtyards of the Temple.  He finds the couple and announces his satisfaction.  "Your promise is fulfilled! His eyes have seen a baby, but the eyes of faith have seen God's salvation.  The Deliverer has arrived. God is moving!

   What are the promises we are looking to experience?  Our great God has promised to never leave us alone, yet if we are not looking, we could miss His presence! He is here faithfully.  His mercies are new every morning. He hears every prayer, cares about every care.  But if we fail to look to Him,  we may feel isolated or abandoned.  Let us look with the eyes of faith.

    Simeon correctly observed that this deliverance would be for a revelation to all Gentiles, that it would come through Israel. This child being presented to God, tucked away in a small corner of the world, would shine light into the darkness.  He would deliver His people from around the world from their captivity.

    The eyes of faith have received their promise, but there are consequences.  This child will carry a target on himself. He will cause the fall of many and the rise of many others. The thoughts of mankind will be revealed.  Simeon received his promise and as a result was ready to die at peace. Others would see the promised Messiah and prefer to be destroyed. King Herod would unleash his army against the infants of the region in a desperate attempt to cling to his throne.

    As we are seeking the promises of God, it is important that we look at our hearts.  Where is our allegiance, our loyalty and values?  To what are we are clinging?  Experiencing our Savior will change us, impact our direction in life.  It will be personal.

    This year, let's see our promise(s) from God with the Spirit-aided eyes of faith.

 

Long Journey Home

   A lot of us celebrate Christmas with a journey back to our family homes.  We gather our gifts, food and clothing for festivities with family.  Hopefully, it is a joyous time reconnecting.

    Joseph returned home for the first Christmas. He did not find the warmest of welcomes with his very pregnant fiancee.  They had traveled to Bethlehem to register for the census, but the town was overwhelmed with the crowds. There was no more place for them, or was it the welcome that was missing?  It appeared things were out of bounds for the couple. Or perhaps the animal shelter offered the privacy desired for the birth that night.

    The Christmas story is full of journeys. Gabriel the angel came to Mary and to Joseph, also to Zechariah with news of God's plan being carried forward.  Joseph and Mary made their trip and the shepherds went to town to search out the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths in a manager.

    The magi from the east traveled the farthest following the star.  They stopped in Jerusalem to check in with King Herod, then continued to the house where the couple and infant had moved. They were directed by God to go home another way, (i.e., not to Jerusalem).

    But there were a few journeys not taken that first Christmas.  King Herod didn't leave the palace, he later sent the troops on their brutal mission. He missed his chance due to pride and a desire for self preservation.  A new king signals the old king is removed or deceased.

    The religious leaders and teachers stayed at home also. They knew the time for Messiah was near.  They knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  They knew the magi came and asked for the king of the Jews.  Maybe they were busy.  Maybe they had commitments. Maybe they could have remembered from whom this baby had come.

     This year, let's find Jesus. Let's make the journey to Bethlehem.  Let's follow Him to Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, Calvary and the Mount of Olives.  Jesus has been made our King and our Priest. He is our God, we are His people.  Let's walk with Him on the long journey home.    

Songs for the Heart

Luke 1:39-80

    Can you believe it?  This question hovers in the background of our daily lives. We make decisions and take action based on the answer to this question.  We may not have all the evidence nor understanding, but we have an immediate opinion.

Faith operates on the edge of credibility.  It does not ask us to be irrational nor thoughtless, but it will push the limits of human understanding.  (And we like to understand the hows, whys and wherefores of our situation, don't we?)

Mary has just received news that had to stretch her faith. She heard the angel. She accepted her mission, but what would happen next?  Could she believe it?  Would everything she had been told really come to be?

    Mary finds real encouragement from her visit to Elizabeth.  She is greeted by the blessing and joyful proclamation, "You are the most blessed of women, and your child will be blessed." Here is confirmation of the angel's announcement.  Mary is told from a second source that she is following God's plan for her life and for the salvation of the whole world.

    I find the Lord nurturing faith in our lives as well. He calls us and draws us.  He wants us to follow Him, to trust His plans. But He wants us to grow in the process.  Our faith needs to take root, sprout and bear fruit. So the path is marked out with subtle signs of confirmation. He wants us to walk with Him, so He leads us on the journey.

    Faith is nurtured and dependent.  But real faith requires a sufficient object. It is not blind faith, it doesn't leap. Real faith follows.  It knows one with the power, ability and willingness to carry out and fulfill the promises that have been made.  Mary has been reminded of the greatness of the One Who promised.

    Mary responds with her song of praise, recognizing the hand of God in preparing and doing great things for her.  Her song is about the wonders of the Almighty, the holy One.  He exalts the lowly and topples the mighty.  She concludes by noting the Lord keeps His mercies and promises to Abraham and his descendants forever. .

    May my faith find encouragement in the signposts of God's leading, in the following His paths. I want to remember His greatness and His compassion. I want us to grow in confidence in the one who cares for us, who calls us.  Can we believe Him?

   Yes. Yes we can.

    

An Unlikely Choice

    Gabriel's second trip to earth in the New Testament was not quite like the first. His first trip made sense.  He went to the Temple, he spoke to a priest in the Holy Place.  This time he was going to Nazareth in Judea of all places.   "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

    Nazareth was an unlikely choice. Wasn't the Messiah to come from Bethlehem, the city of David? Nazareth was anything but royal. They had a reputation. David Guzik notes Nazareth "was a tough town, known for its corruption and low morals."  David Guzik Commentary on the Bible  www.studylight.org

    Mary found the greeting to be unlikely as well.  What did this angel mean, "Greetings, highly favored one! The Lord is with you"? Favored?  I'm from Nazareth!

    And Mary was faced with an unlikely choice.  The angel said she would be with child, a great son, who would be called the Son of the Most High.  Mary understood plainly that the child would not be Joseph's son following their marriage. She understood the risk that Joseph may not go along with the idea of a pregnancy before they married.

    But on the other side of the decision stood a messenger from God, the angel Gabriel. He reminded her that her relative Elizabeth (the barren one) was in her sixth month.  God was already at work to bring his son into the world. Her circumstances were daunting, but "nothing is impossible with GOD."

    And so Mary made the most likely choice.  She agreed with God.  What He wanted for her is what she wanted also.  "I am the Lord's servant."  She chose to walk the path the Lord had laid out before her.  She didn't have all the details and all the answers, but she accepted.

    My prayer for all of us is that we choose to follow the paths the Lord has laid out before us.  We may not see Gabriel but if you look God is going before you, preparing the way.  Your circumstances may be daunting or worse.  Never forget the angel's words of truth,  "For nothing is impossible with God."

    Let's make an obvious choice.  May it be to me as He has spoken.

    

What is your story?

    Zechariah and Elizabeth felt the reproach and shame of being childless.  In their day, being without an heir carried a stigma.  It meant that God was somehow displeased with one or both of you.  Now it seemed that the condition was permanent. They were old.  Their hopes had faded with their youth.  Luke tells us they were upright in the sight of God. They observed all of the regulations and commandments. But they were still childless.  I feel confident they prayed and prayed often about their situation. And they still had no infant.

   

    What is your story? What dreams of yours have faded? When did hope begin to fail?  Have you laid aside the plans of  youth, traded in for the practicality of daily living and marking time until the Lord calls you home?  Or is your feeling even more desperate?  Has your faith turned into religious routine? Has unbelief begun to creep in?  

    Zechariah's career kept him on duty. He still served as a priest, taking his turn with the priestly division of Abijah. It paid the bills.  But the silence from heaven was deafening.  The Lord had not spoken to men directly since the time of Malachi, some 400 years earlier. The waiting and working continued.  

    "Zechariah, come in here. I want to speak to you."  The words were never spoken, but the purpose was clear.  While being dutiful, Zechariah went into the Holy Place to offer incense.  It was the moment of a lifetime, with some evidence that due to the number of priests, this offering was limited to just once per priest.  Those selected to serve in the Holy Place on that day entered, completed their duties and withdrew, leaving Zechariah alone before the alter of incense.

    "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the alter of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear."  I can only imagine! 

    God works in our lives with His own timing. It seems that often He waits until it will be obvious that only He could produce the result.  That doesn't mean He shouldn't be praised when His timing is more to our liking.  But Zechariah's response intrigues me and leads me to wonder how I respond when I understand the answer to my prayers.

    Sometimes a reverent fear is most appropriate.  But I have to admit, sometimes my fears of disappointment lead me to ask, like Zechariah, "How can I be sure of this?"  I can usually offer reasons why this answer from God will fall through.

    Today, I want to learn to pray, to ask the Lord to rule in my impossible situation.  To be able to believe and continue believing in His answer and His willingness to work in and through us.  My request is for the next generation of believers to rise up, empowered and faithful to know, worship and serve the Lord God of the Scriptures.  I want my story to be about Jesus.

    

    

Welcome!

If I asked you, "Who wrote the most books in the New Testament?"  Most of you could answer the Apostle Paul.  But if the question was rephrased as who wrote the largest portion of the New Testament, would that change your response?  Would you think of Luke without the title of this blog?

  Based on word count, Luke carries the day. I even ran across a Catholic writer who suggested Luke may have translated Hebrews for Paul and Peter's first letter.  Regardless, Luke has the privilege of recording the largest volume of work in the New Testament.

    The Sunday School class will be studying in the book of Luke for the coming weeks. We want to spend some time walking with Jesus, letting His life develop in us. I would invite you to journey with us.  We have been challenged in the morning services to tell others what we know about Jesus.

 My prayer is that this time and study will deepen our connection with Him, so we have more to share.