The Hope of Christmas

Hope.  We live in a broken world where stock markets crash, loved ones suffer, friends and family grow apart, and everything from international politics to stop lights are beyond our control.  It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s called “Murphy’s Law” or the second law of thermodynamics; everything seems to breakdown.  Each day we witness a thousand injustices that cry out to be fixed.  And what can we do?  For this brokenness extends even to ourselves as we fail to live up to all that we ought to be.  We are all clocks that keep imperfect time.  This is not meant to be overly pessimistic, because there is much that is good and beautiful in the world, but we can all confess, to at least some degree, that there are times when we have our doubts that things will ever truly be right. 

            We all want peace and happiness and we want it so badly that we are willing to place our hope in people, governments, educations, careers, policies, medicines, technologies, financial institutions, and religions that are bound to fail.  But each time we are left disappointed, we still have the gumption to pick ourselves up and find something new to enchant us and believe in.  We willingly ignore all the warnings suggesting that we are only setting ourselves up for more heartache, because we desperately want there to be something more.  We would rather believe in a false hope, pretending it to be real than go on without any hope at all, because hope is necessary for survival when we live in a world such as this.  In a world such as this, often times, hope is all we have. 

Two thousand years ago, there was a small and unimportant nation which was occupied by a foreign power, with customs and laws contrary to its own.  This nation had struggled for its sovereignty from its very inception and had somehow survived countless invasions, political realignments, and even exile.  This nation was told by God that they were His chosen people, but all the evidence pointed to the contrary.  What importance could God possibly have for a tiny farming nation that had been suppressed by four different civilizations far mightier than themselves during the last four centuries?  Surely if God had wanted to make anything of them He would have done so long before now.  If there ever was a time when they were important in His sight, that time had passed.  Despite any promises given in some lost age, it was apparent to everyone that they were a nation destined to be forgotten by God and enslaved by others. 

As the reality of these sentiments descended on the hearts of some lowly shepherds, a bursting light scattered the night and they were told the best news that man had ever heard.  Christmas is important because it reminds us that there is a true reason to hope in the midst of a thousand evidences to despair.  Christmas assures us that God has not abandoned us to the horror our own devices in a cold and empty universe.  By entering our fallen world, assuming a body of corruption, enduring the afflictions of hunger and disease, feeling the pains of both body and soul, facing the scorns and abuse of men, Christ affirms not only His love for a fallen race, but also the potential for goodness and beauty that rightly belong to creatures once described as “the image of God” once that image is fully restored.

The world did not become perfect when God entered our cosmos, nor did it become so when He returned to heaven in His resurrected body, but let us not think that this means that He has come in vain.  He will complete the work that He has begun.  The story of Christmas tells us that He has come once.  The hope of Christmas promises us that He will come again, and when He does all other hopes will be fulfilled.

Its a miracle the ancient scriptures were preserved so well and faithfully.  No other culture has such a vast collection of its ancient literature.  To think that Jesus read these scriptures is amazing and even more astounding is the fact Jews everywhere read these same scriptures today, two thousand years later.  Jesus gave credence to the Old Testament.  He quoted from nearly every book of it.  When He spoke about it, He spoke with authority.  Those were His Father’s words, God’s truth.  Since Jesus proved his own credibility through his miracles, his Resurrection from the dead and final ascension into the heavens, we can accept His assessment of the veracity of Old Testament scripture.

Glen numbly watched through the window as Delores carried her battered suitcases down the crumbling concrete stairs of the dilapidated apartment building which they called home. Well, they had called it home until just moments ago. Glen had arrived home early from work to find Delores on the phone with the cab company, her packed bags standing next to the door of the studio apartment. The sight particularly surprised Glen. He originally took half a day off from work and stopped by a florist to surprise his wife with flowers and an early dinner to celebrate the promotion he’d just received at the factory in which he worked. Instead, Delores finished her instructions to Yellow Cab… she was great at giving instructions… and calmly said; “I can’t take this anymore, Glen.” Picking up her bags, she brushed past him and in a weary monotone cast, “The rest of the story is on the table…” over her shoulder as if it were an afterthought. As she walked across the stained carpet of the hallway to the century-old elevator, Glen silently watched six years of marriage enter the elevator. After watching the doors close, he turned to the envelope on the table.

 Finally, breaking through his initial shock, Glen picked up the envelope and exited the apartment. Walking to the emergency stairwell, he mindlessly stumbled down each step to watch through the kaleidoscope of cracks in the front door window as Delores descended the stairs to the waiting cab. The driver met Delores at the bottom stairs, took her bags, and placed them in the trunk as she got in the back seat without a backward glance. Glen pushed through the door and slowly felt his way down the stairs to the sidewalk. As he watched her white, cold profile through the cab’s foggy window, the forgotten bouquet of flowers fell from Glen’s limp hand; the colorful petals a sharp contrast to the grayness of the wintry mix of melting slush on the concrete at his feet.

 As the cab disappeared into the mid-afternoon traffic, he turned and began to walk in the opposite direction Delores had chosen.  Although symbolic of the immediate future of their marriage, Glen had no conscious reason for the decision. He just walked. He walked as if blindly trying to escape the reality of the situation.

 A grieving mind, anxious to make sense of an incomprehensible loss, intermittently begins to rerun the mental tape, hoping to somehow dull the pain by gently interjecting piercing reality into a rapidly retreating consciousness. The resulting experience is an emotionally rock-hard shock that must be crushed by waves of anguish which slowly washes over the rocky surface until the retreating tide pulls away the numbness and leaves the person to either embrace and deal with the pain or run from it further.

 Glen’s mind began this process as his body walked the city streets, expending physical energy to relieve the adrenal rush caused by the event. He walked aimlessly, his body’s behavior a mirror of the confusing thoughts and emotions wandering his psyche. As if to torture him further, his memory began to replay conversations and events that would have given a listening mind a sense of foreboding to the relational starvation that led to this moment. At the time of those conversations, however, Glen had been so absorbed with the immediate struggle to make ends meet and the pressure to show himself a “team player” at work that he had reassured himself of how the success of tomorrow would overshadow their current difficulties. Obviously, Delores hadn’t shared his perspective, or even known about it.

 Although Glen’s mind was trapped in the emotional loop of shock, time was not. After three hours of walking, the warmth of the December sun absorbed by the concrete canyons of the city slowly ebbed into the growing darkness of night. The cold air and his cramping legs were what eventually broke through the crisis induced delirium in Glen’s heart and mind. The sight of an empty bench jerked his attention out of the fog in which it had been hiding. Gingerly sitting down on the bench, he reached to massage his aching shins only to become focused upon a forgotten item. Clutched within his left hand was the white envelope he had retrieved from the table in the apartment.

 Shaking his head, Glen opened the back of the envelope which was soaked from the moisture accumulated by his three hour stroll. Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it, Glen took the letter from the envelope and unfolded it. Counting to three, he exhaled, opened his eyes and began to read.

 “Dear Glen,

There is no easy way to write the words I must write. Although we have been married for six years, I feel as if you and I are strangers. We shared more of life during the year we dated than at any time since. I have tried to tell you how lonely and bored I am in the dog house we call an apartment. At first, I tried to tell myself that it would get better when you were promoted and we could move into a better neighborhood. We could then have time and money to enjoy each other. But that time never came and I grew tired of waiting. I got tired of dodging the landlord and bill collectors. You were always working when they called or came by, but I was home. I am tired of the game of ‘hide-and-seek’ I have had to play with them. I am alone in dealing with them even when you are here, because you never want to talk about money when you get home. You say you are ‘tired’ and ‘don’t want to be bothered with it…’ Well, I don’t either!

 You are also always tired. I used to want to go out together and do something. But always… you were too tired. Finally, I started to go out during the day while you were at work. I looked for and found a job. I kept the money to do what I wanted. And then, I met someone at work… We worked together. One thing led to another… isn’t that what they say? We began sleeping together on our days off. Eventually, his boss found out about it and threatened to tell his wife if he didn’t put an end to it. His boss then fired me.

 That was six weeks ago. Yesterday, I found out that I am pregnant. I will not put you or a child through living in this dump with three persons, related only by marriage and mistakes. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I do know that I am going home. Mom and Dad will know what to do…

 I’m sorry…

 D.”

 Glen found himself mentally arguing each point in the letter until he read about the secret job. The shocked numbness then began to creep back over his consciousness. This time, however, anger stopped its spread. He closed his hand into a fist, crumpling the corner of the letter and envelope. He then began an audible and angry defense of himself to the woman who had betrayed his hard work and sacrifice.

 “How dare she complain about our life? She was the one that wanted to get married so soon. I wanted to wait until I could get a little money set aside. Besides, I work like a dog! Does she think I like working double shifts? Especially at this job! I hate it! But, I can’t find anything else that pays more. She has always wanted more, more, more…

 Well… now she’s done it. She got knocked-up by some management jerk looking for a skirt on the side. My boss is just like him! Serves her right! Just let ‘Daddy’ pay her medical bills. She always said I didn’t do things like ‘Daddy’ did anyway. Go live with ‘Daddy,’ Delores!”

 Just then, a sound stopped his bitter tirade. At first, he thought it was a passing stranger. Looking around, he instead noticed that the bench upon which he’d been sitting was resting beside the front lawn of an old cathedral. Set up in the middle of the snow-covered lawn was a life sized, well lit nativity scene. The characters of the scene were cut from plywood and elaborately painted in appropriate adornment. A rustic stable had been painstakingly nailed together, stuffed with hay, and lit by a fluorescent light wedged in the ceiling. The entire scene was lit by large floodlights set at angles on either side of the crèche.  On the top of the massive bell tower, a brilliantly lit star cast a striking pose against the cityscape. As Glen took in the picture in front of him, he once again heard the sound which originally had distracted his angry tirade. Listening intently, he sorted through the common sounds of the early evening metropolis surrounding the church grounds.

 “Was it… no, that’s a cab.”

 “How about… nah, two guys arguing over a parking space.”

 “Well… what about… Yeah, that’s it… but, it can’t be! Is that… a baby?”

 Suddenly, Glen noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. Shifting his gaze towards the movement, he noticed that both the movement and the noise seemed to be coming from the stone manger, overflowing with hay, in the center of the nativity stable.

 “Could that be…? NO! That’s impossible. No one would put a live baby in a nativity scene in twenty degree weather!”

 Standing up, Glen began to venture into the snow in order to get a better view of the child in the manger. As he closed in on the scene, his progress slowed to a hesitant, step by step, investigation.

 “He doesn’t seem to be crying… In fact… Yes, yes… He’s cooing and laughing and seems to be playing with his feet. Where IS his mother? The night is so cold and he seems to be dressed only in some… dirty cloths.”

As Glen’s mind began to wind through the numerous possibilities of the child’s origin, his anger began to rise.

 “What kind of a person leaves a baby out in this weather to freeze and die?”

 The closer Glen came to the makeshift cradle, the more intent his focus was on the child. As he got close enough to touch the child, a rational, compassionate thought crossed his mind. Kneeling in the snow, Glen removed his light jacket and covered the baby with it, tucking the sides into the hay of the manger.

 “It’s not much, little fella’. But it’s the best I can do right now.”

 To his amazement, as he removed his hands from the manger, he noticed that the child and even the surrounding stable were unusually warm. But before he could investigate the source of this unnatural warmth, a strong male voice broke through Glen’s focus on the child.

 “Isn’t he a beautiful child?”

“I’m always surprised at the warmth and joy in his tiny laugh.”

 As Glen’s perplexed gaze rested on the man, he noticed how the man was looking adoringly into the laughing face of the child. Unable to resist, Glen turned to see the child’s bright eyes and toothless smile searching the faces of both men staring down into the manger. In spite of himself, Glen began to chuckle.

 “Yes sir, he certainly is one-of-a-kind.”  The stranger continued.

 As Glen once again looked at the man, to his astonishment, he realized that the kind man was dressed in some sort of long, flowing garment. The type and style of garment was what got Glen’s attention, for it seemed old and possibly mad by hand. The man wore an outer robe which may have been made of wool, at least the color and texture looked like it. As the man leaned down to speak to Glen, he could see that the man wore a thinner garment underneath, possibly made of cotton. The outer robe also had a hood which was presently lying back on his shoulders. As Glen knelt in the snow and before he could bring himself to question the bearded young man about himself or the child, the man kindly asked:

 “What brings you to the manger, friend?”

 Glen was fully prepared to answer the man’s question with a question of his own about where the mother of the baby was and why the man and child were in the freezing cold when there was shelter and warmth all around them. Instead, as he withdrew his now frozen hand from the snow and unsteadily stood to his feet, Glen felt the letter Delores had written him fluttering in his hand. Looking down at the smeared ink, reminded him again of the anguish of his disintegrating life once again. The pain fell over his heart, mind, and countenance. Rather than question the kind stranger, Glen began to pour out his own desperate tale, once again feeling an inner hollowness now filling with bitterness and grief from unfulfilled expectations. The deeper he got into his story, however, he felt a growing reassurance that he couldn’t explain. After the final details of his story had spilled from his lips into the unblemished show, Glen felt the hand of the young man upon his shoulder, guiding him to a hay bale near the baby in the manger. After retrieving another bale for himself from deep inside the stable, the fellow sat at the opposite end of the manger from Glen, near the baby’s head. Looking lovingly at the innocent child and stroking his dark curly hair, the man began to speak in tones so low that Glen had to lean forward to catch each word.

 “Before this child came into my life, I was a young man in love in much the same way you must have been at one time. A woman slipped into my dreams nightly and stole my heart one piece at a time. It may sound strange to you but she was a woman of great nobility. A woman described by Solomon at the end of his Proverbs. While I was not a man of great means, I was a talented and ambitious carpenter. Every project I took on was built with a commitment to excellence. I labored so the work of my hands, carved with my name, would last long after I had died and even after my children had died. I worked so generations would know my name and my work. I was proud! And yet I was alone, until this wonderful, beautiful woman walked shyly by my shop.

 Her dark eyes flashed above the veil which hid the curve of her mouth, the rise of her cheeks, and the softness of her neck. One look at her and the next blow of my hammer took a course of its own. As I jerked the smitten finger into my mouth with a piercing yell, I am sure I saw the veil about her face tremble, concealing the smile and laughter behind it. When I was finally able to stop my apprentice from his own laughter at my expense, I sent him to follow her and find who her father was.

 As with, I am sure, your own courtship, a simple interest led to further meetings until we were pledged to marry. In my land, to be pledged to another was a very serious event. It meant that you held yourself from all other romantic associations with any other except the one to which you were betrothed. I had no trouble obeying this tradition for not only was my Beloved beautiful, she was everything I had ever wanted in a wife and mother for our children. Her character was strong due to her deep faith in Jehovah and His provision for His people. Looking toward the future gave me confidence and hope for our lives together. I began to dream of the sons I would have to work in the shop with me, making yolks for farmers throughout the land that would be used by generations of oxen and planters.

 Suddenly, these plans and dreams came crashing down. I remember it vividly. Mary came to me one morning as I worked in the shop. Calmly and confidently, she told me that an angel had visited her in the night to say that she was going to have a baby. She said that she’d asked the very question that first burst into my mind, ‘How can she have a baby when she is still a virgin?’

 Actually, if I were honest, my first thoughts were not to be directed to an angel. In fact, my questions had nothing to do with whether she was a virgin or not. I had already jumped to, ‘How could you do this?’ and ‘Who is the father?’ My feelings were a self-righteous uprising against her unquestionable guilt and my unquestioned innocence. The noise of my rage drowned out her telling of the angel’s final prophecy that the child would ‘save His people from their sins.’ How ironic that I, the man that would be called the child’s father by generations of doubters, would be the first to doubt.

 Looking back, I must say that the second miracle Jehovah ordained was to stop my anger from becoming action. Our law would have justified my harsh response towards Mary, but Jehovah cushioned me as I fell from the height of the pedestal upon which my dreams had placed me. For some reason, my feelings of the need for self-vindication were increasingly mixed with feelings of love for Mary. I began to think of how people would treat her in our town. I understood how she would be shunned by the other women of our village when she approached the well for water. I also imagined some of the vicious women would physically harm her if I looked the other way. And the men… the men would think that if she were pregnant without a husband, then she could be any man’s passing pleasure.

 Because of these thoughts, I at first decided that she would be treated better if she were to go out of our region. She had some family living in Jerusalem, some distance south of our home town. It was a large town and Mary could blend in with the many women there. ‘There were probably other women in just the same condition she was in,’ I reasoned. Besides, one of her relatives was a priest, and she was in dire need of the help only Jehovah could give. So, we send Mary, pregnant with this child, to Jerusalem to stay with Elisabeth and Zechariah, the priest.

 While she was there, Jehovah not only reaffirmed His word to her, He also spoke further to me. During the day, I could kind of block out the thoughts of Mary and the child by working in my shop. At night, however, my sleep was consistently disrupted by dreams which shook me to my core. My work and appetite dropped off as I could think of nothing else except how this innocent baby would make it in the world without a father. If adulterous women were treated badly by people in our town, bastards were not treated much better.

 I started to ask myself what kind of a future this child would have without a heritage to give his some standing in the village. How would Mary and he make a living? How fair was it to this little child that the sins of others should be taken out upon him?

 Somewhere within these questions, a spark of love started to smolder within the lonely tender of my heart. At first my love for Mary began to turn my mind’s direction, and then my love for the child began to turn it further until…

One night, I fell into a particularly deep sleep. As my mind drifted into an unconscious abyss, it was savagely jerked into bright focus by an angel. Amazingly, the angel called my by name and family line, and then said something even more surprising. He said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ With this phrase still echoing in my head, I awakened and began to make plans to bring Mary home. I believed her story, but most importantly, I believed in the child. You see, this child changed my life. He completely rearranged my plans for the future. But, thankfully, as he grew, he traveled alongside me in my life. We built things together when he was old enough. It’s funny, those days seem to be forgotten by everyone, except me… and, of course, him. He is a wonderful carpenter. What he builds lasts forever.

 So, Glen, maybe you have come to the manger to find that the love of this child can change the way you see your circumstances. I understand how you feel, friend.

Here… why don’t you come closer to the child? Pick him up! There, doesn’t his warmth go to your very depths?”

 As Glen gathered the baby into his arms, a sense of peace began to settle over his wounded soul as he looked deep into the smiling, innocent eyes.

 A sharp voice brought Glen’s attention to a man dressed in overalls, standing a few yards away.

 “Hey mister, I said… are you ok? Ya don’t need a truck with rubber walls do ya?”

 Glen responded, “Uh, no. I was just talking to…”

 As Glen looked down into the smiling eyes of the child, he found, instead the unseeing, glass eyes of a plastic doll wrapped in his light jacket. Glancing sharply towards his new friend, he instead found the elaborately painted plywood cutout of a forgotten man. Glen gently placed the doll in the manger and once again turned his attention to the bystander who had taken a few strides through the snow towards the crèche and Glen. As Glen approached, the man stuck out his hand in greeting. Glen instinctively reached his own hand towards the man’s, clasped it, and looked into his smiling face.

 “Isn’t he a beautiful child?” The overall clad man asked.

 After stepping away from the manger, Glen noticed how icy the wind felt. As he put the light jacket back on, Glen began to mumble a reply, but the man’s next question stopped him as cold as the December wind.

 “What brings you to the manger, friend?”

 “I’m nnnnot sssure, bbbut I think I’m about to fffind out…”

 The words were punctuated by the chattering of Glen’s teeth. As he stood shivering in the snow, the man in the overalls placed an arm around his shoulders and began to gently guide him towards a side door of the cathedral.

 “Well son, why don’t we talk about the child and why you’re here, over a cup of coffee, OK? By the way, I’m Joe and I work on the custodial crew here…”

As Glen and Joe, the custodian, entered the door of the church; a very observant onlooker might have seen a slight, but very distinct smile part the painted beard of the plywood cutout of the forgotten man beside the manger… and a twinkle in the eyes of the child.

Addendum:

I wrote the above store about 5 years ago, before the total collapse of my marriage. The feelings of the immediate shock of crisis on the personality came from my experience when my father was killed in an accident while I was a college student. Since the dimise of my marriage, I am amazed at how familiar Glen’s feelings are to me now. I just wonder…

Maybe I’ll look for a manger this Christmas…

lw

“Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

C.S. Lewis

Co religionists of these people call for understanding and tolerance from Europe and rest of the world!?
Story.
Conservative Muslim Peer Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury has criticised a group of Islamic extremists who pelted her with eggs and shouted abuse at her during a visit in Luton.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6696424/Islamic-extremists-pelt-eggs-at-Muslim-Baroness-Warsi-during-Luton-protest.html

I Hope you like it,All Design by me(King)

This Week, We Pray For:

• Local churches preparing Christmas Programs, Plays, Concerts, and more. May these ministries be a blessing to all who see them.

• A spirit of peace as we enter into the season of Advent when it can be all-too easy to get so wrapped up in all of the commercial trappings that we completely miss Jesus.

• Comfort for those who find themselves alone or in peril during the Holiday Season.

• Revelation for those who are confused about life circumstances or distant in their relationship with God. Courage to admit any struggles and fellowship with those who can provide wise counsel.

• Guidance for our Local, State, and National Leaders as they attempt to make wise decisions to guide us into a new year.

• A Miraculous outpouring of grace upon the Valley so that many hearts will be softened and turn to God.

Thank You for stopping by!  You Are A Divine Expression Of Art.  Namaste.

The Danger of the “House Church” Movement: Religious Tradition in Disguise

When Paul uses the phrase, “the church in your house” is not referring to the building or architectural “house.” Instead he is referring to the “household” (i.e., the family itself). The Greek word that Paul uses for “house” is oikos (house, usually the household) instead of oikia (house, usually the building).

The most common words to express the concept of family in the New Testament are oikos, “house,” and its derivatives. Oikos may indicate the couple, their children, and any servants or relatives living in the house (I Timothy 3:5, 12). – Lawrence O. Richards, Zondervan Expository Dictionary of Bible Words

Oikos … by implication, a family. – James Strong, Strong’s Greek Lexicon, #3624, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

Oikos … by metonymy, of the members of a household or family. – W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

There is a growing movement afloat called “the House Church Movement.” It has, in some circles and areas, become quite popular. It’s an acceptable, alternative “thing to do.” Home is where the “members” of this movement “do church.”

I would like to be clear that this is not what Paul is talking about when he utilized the phrase “the church in your house.” He was not talking about a house church movement. Paul was not a part of any man-made movement. The only movement he knew anything about was the natural movement of Christ through the members of His Body.

This should be a good enough “movement” for us: Christ living and moving through the members of His Body. This should be the only movement of which we would desire to be a part!

Why is it that members of Christ’s Body seem never to be satisfied with their identity in Christ? Why is it that we have this pressing desire to be recognized and identified with something else – anything else – beyond Christ?

House Church and Home Church?

Now, the fact is that there is no such term in Scripture as “house church” or “home church,” anymore than there is the term “local church.” Surely there will be those who will accuse us of “squabbling over semantics,” but words are important – they mean things. There is a vast difference between “the local church” and the church in a locality; and just the same, there is a vast difference between “the house church” or “the home church,” and “the church in your house.”

The church is not something we “do,” it is not somewhere we “go.” It is who we are! We are the church whether we are at work, at school, or on vacation. Yet we do not use the terms “work church,” “school church,” or “vacation church” to describe these. We are simply the church at work, the church at school, the church on vacation.

The church is everywhere that the saints are! It is everywhere its members (i.e., Body parts) are, and when the church gathers it is not “doing” church, it is not “going” to church. We were the church before we gather, we are the church when we gather, and we are the church when we disassemble! Anchor this truth in your soul: We Are the Church!

That’s why the Scriptures tell us that Paul “gathered the church together” (Acts 14:27). What was Paul gathering? Bricks and mortar? No! An organization? No! He was gathering the church. He was gathering saints. He was gathering Body parts, and they were the church, even when they were not meeting. So, neither is the meeting the church!

Do you begin to see the problem with “house church,” and “home church?” It brings us right back to the exact same problem that the traditional “church” has. It steals our identity. “House church” and “home church” are not God’s church! They are man’s pitiful attempts at imitation!

Now, we appreciate what some in the “House Church Movement” have done to awaken many to the problems with the traditional “church”; but, to some degree, the “House Church Movement” has replaced one architectural form (the chapel) with another (the house). The danger is that we carry the system of the chapel into the home. Have we simply swapped “having church” in a chapel with “having church” in a house? If so, the primary difference is architecture, and architecture is not even close to being the issue!

The issue is the life of Christ living in and through His church – when, where and how He pleases! Every day, in every place, and within every circumstance – Christ is manifesting Himself in His living church! This is “the house of God!” This is “the church of the living God!” This is “the pillar and ground of the truth!” This is “the mystery of godliness!”

But if I tarry long, that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness … (I Timothy 3:15-16).

“The church in your house” supports these truths. The “house church” and “home church” supplant them! (It’s religious tradition under guise of Bible truth.)

Are you the church, or do you “do church?” Do you “go to” a “house church?”

Don’t settle for anything less than who and what God has made you in Christ!

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.
Bible Student’s Notebook
© 2000, 2009

Marriage: The Core Of Family Life

“Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best for now.’” John 2:10

“And no one after drinking the old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old wine is better.’” Luke 5:39

A Taste For Old Wine
Before getting into the main subject of this article, I want to issue a warning, differentiate my readers into two groups, and give each group some bad news and good news.

First the warning! If you are expecting something creative or innovative relative to the biblical view of marriage, you will be disappointed. In that regard, I take great comfort in one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotations:

“Christ did not come to preach any new brand of morality. The golden rule of the New Testament (do as you would be done by) is a summing up of what everyone, at bottom, had always known to be right. Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities; it is the quacks and cranks who do that. As Dr. Samuel Johnson said: ‘People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.’ The real job of every moral teacher is to keep bringing us back, time after time, to the old, simple principles we are all so anxious not to see.”

This sentiment will prevail as we look at the biblical view of marriage.

Second, I need to differentiate my readers into those who are married and those who are not, using Jesus’ metaphor of wineskins in Luke 5:37-39. Those of you who are not married are “new wineskins.” The bad news for you is that you are destined to drink the “new wine.” The good news is that the new wine will get better with age.

For those who are married, the bad news is that you are all “old wineskins.” The good news is the “old wine is best.” My intention therefore is not to burst anyone’s wineskins. That would be a wasted effort because all the wine would run out and no one would benefit. With these thoughts in mind let’s look at the biblical basis for a functional marriage.

Christ-Centered Marriage: The Best Wine Keeps On Flowing
It is no coincidence that Christ performed his first miracle at a wedding. In John 2:1-10 we read that Jesus turned water into wine that was not only choice wine but the best wine. So it is with couples who invite Jesus Christ into their marriage and center their relationship on and in Him. The couple from Cana started out right. They invited Jesus to their wedding and His presence from the very beginning brought them the best basis for joy – “the wine that gladdens” (Ps.104:15 NIV).

I have worked with many couples whose marriages had run out of wine or whose wine had turned sour. All marriages have times when partners wonder where the joy has gone, and question whether they are right for each other. However, with Christ in the marriage, the best wine keeps flowing regardless of the circumstances, emotions and problems.

But what makes a marriage responsive to the wine that Christ supplies? That answer is found in the biblical basis for marriage that was set forth from the very beginning and will never change this side of eternity. You will find that whatever stage of married life you are in – anticipating marriage, new marriage, child-rearing marriage, middle-age marriage or aging marriage – consulting this original blueprint will give you encouragement, support and direction.

The Biblical Blueprint For Marriage
So often in the throes of marital turmoil, we forget that marriage is one of God’s greatest gifts to human beings. He understood our need for intimate connection long before any of us came to be. In His original consideration of man’s nature and needs He determined that it was not good for the man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). In response, He created a helper to resolve the issues of intimacy, loneliness and separation. When this gift of God’s concern was presented, the man’s words have defined the essence of marriage ever since: “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:23-24).

It is important to note that Christ affirmed this definition of marriage when He was questioned by the Pharisees in Mark 10:1-9. Although He changed the basis for many important things in our lives (e.g. Law was subsumed by grace), our Lord did not change marriage. Rather He reiterated the original blueprint and then added His seal of approval with the mandate, “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (v. 9). The elements of that original marriage declaration provide the chemistry for a functional and fulfilling marriage and serve as the channels through which Christ can perform His role in the relationship. Let’s look at the ingredients individually.

Leaving And Cleaving
The relational power of this dual dynamic is best captured in the King James Version of our blueprint: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife” (Gen. 2:24). Two processes are critical here: one is separation from one’s family of origin, and the other is forming a new relational unit that takes precedence emotionally and practically over the former relationship (not to eliminate the former but to create a new relational unit of responsibility and accountability before God).

Young people have often asked me, “When do I no longer have to listen to my parents or be under their authority?” One clear biblical marker is marriage, because in marriage the responsibility for decisions transfers to the new relational couple as the center of family life.

This aspect of marriage represents hope. The first stage of marriage, the establishment stage, is the time for innovation and creativity. Regardless of past experiences the couple has an opportunity to form a relationship that is unique and special to them. In fact, the first task of newlyweds is to learn how to become a couple. Couples who do not pay attention to this task often run into problems later, because after the first stage of married life everything else becomes a process of renovation. As life circumstances change – children are born and grow up and partners age – the marriage relationship has to continually be modified to accommodate these changes. So leaving and cleaving is critical to forming the foundation for the marriage relationship.

Notice the joint nature of this relational process. Both leaving and cleaving are critical. Problems arise for many couples because of the failure to invoke both processes simultaneously. One or both have problems leaving their family-of-origin relationships, and this leads to the common maladies of in-law interference and failure to transfer emotional attachments from the family of origin to the new family created by the marriage. Or one or both have difficulty with the cleaving or committing aspect of the relationship. This leads to problems of self-centeredness which mitigates against the relational necessity of putting one’s partner before oneself as a bottom line resource in the marriage.

Completing – Not Competing
God’s intention for marriage is to provide a relationship that is complementary, in which partners experience a sense of completeness in their connection with one another. So often we turn our partner into an opponent thus abrogating the completing dynamics of the marriage. Spouses develop adversarial patterns of relating, substituting conflict for cooperation, effectively removing the “L” from completing and transforming it into competing. The best intervention in this case is to introduce the “L” (now standing for Lord) back into the relationship where both spouses turn to Christ Jesus as Lord of their life thus restoring the completing dimension of the relationship.

Becoming One: A Life-Long Process
A common misconception about marriage is that once you vow to become one you are one. Typically, this old adage tends to be more realistic: “In marriage a couple vows to become one on their wedding day and then spend the rest of their lives fighting over which one they will become.” Becoming one is a lifelong process that requires attention to and effort in every stage of married life. It has been said that marriage is the experience of being married to many different partners, not because you change partners but because your partner changes.

Paying attention to this “becoming one” process is perhaps the most difficult task of marriage over time. So many distractions, including children, emerge and interfere with the process. Typically, when couples have problems there is an inevitable element of lack of time and attention devoted to one another and their marriage relationship. That is why the resource of being one in Christ (Gal. 3:28) is so critical. There are so many things to pull couples apart, that only the presence of Christ as the covenant partner in the relationship can help them persevere in the process of becoming one.

The Best Wine
Marriage is the core of family life. And practically speaking, as goes the marriage so goes the family. A Christ-centered relationship provides the means by which the biblical blueprint for a functional and fulfilling marriage can be constructed and operationalized.

The biblical marriage has a solid foundation built by way of the dynamic duality of leaving and cleaving. It has a character of completeness where spouses complement and cooperate with one another. And it has a resilience that comes from the ongoing process of becoming one throughout the ages and stages of life’s developments.

This growth perspective will provide not only the resources for coping with life but the basis for fulfillment. By seeking Christ’s presence and guidance in implementing the biblical blueprint you will be able to look your partner in the eye at each and every stage of married life and lovingly exclaim, “You have saved the best for now!”

By James P. Trotzer

With permission to publish by: Sam Hadley, Grace & Truth, 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL., USA.

Website: www.gtpress.org

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Here last week I was handed a copy of the Manhattan Declaration, I had briefly heard about it on the news but knew little about it. After reading it I must say that I agree strongly with its aim; that the sanctity of human life, the historical definition of marriage, and that both individual and corporate religious freedoms are under serious threat at this point in our history. I am pleased that church leaders; regardless of their theological background have realized they needed to come together as a group and reaffirm the biblical positions on these culturally divisive topics, positions that transcend all denominational and ecclesial lines. If you would like to read the declaration for yourself, just click on this link .  I would love to hear your thoughts about it, so feel free to comment.

Hasan Abdul Hakim | Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 14 | Size: 1 MB
The Concept of God in Islam: There is no God but Allah (SWT). The first part of the Muslim confession of faith (the Shahada) is the basis for the concept of God in Islam. The Muslim bears witness that: “There is no god but God”. or “no divinity but the (one) Divinity”. The revealed Scripture of Islam, the Qur’an, is like a vast commentary on this simple statement, drawing from it all its implications for human life and thought.  This book higlights Islams conception of diety through a concise look at Qur’anic verses and our everyday surroundings. Overall this brief book provides a good introductory guide to a muslims primary belief in God.

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As I mentioned on Sunday, I got to be the “preacher” last week at a Toronto church.   So it’s rather strange to move from that to not really knowing where I’m going to church this coming Sunday, don’t you think?

We’ve been in church limbo since mid March.    The one church that is the most obviously landing place for us is the one we’ve been to about every other week since August.   That’s right, every other week.   Call it a protective mechanism or a protective response. Like those plants that close up when you touch them.   We’ve both been hurt real bad.   (Taking speaking assignments allows me to legitimize some of the absences.  Yes, church leaders have feelings.)

One thing I like about the pastor at the one place we’ve been visiting is how he allows his congregation to get to know him through his personal illustrations.    He uses PowerPoint — actually it’s Apple Keynote — to post scripture verses and pictures.   Personal pictures.   So far, in a very limited number of visits, I’ve seen his old motorcycle, the house he and the Mrs. bought and even the church where he first decided to follow Christ.   Cool.

Which brings me to blogging.   I think some of the best blogs are where you really meet the heart of the person writing; where you really get to know them, warts and all.  (That kind of transparency is also why I enjoy reading another pastor:  Pete Wilson’s blog, Without Wax; always listed in the right column.)  I think it’s the most authentic kind of online communication.   A few times I’ve had a lump in my through, or felt my eyes tearing up reading things written by people I consider part of my online community.

But truth be told, I really only write about one true “heart piece” a week.   A lot of this blog is links, great quotes, cartoons, links and news reports.

Which brings us to the two items that ran yesterday.   (I won’t mention them by name, because I don’t want spiders picking up on them in the webcrawl.)

I think both of these subjects — both the one about the TV preacher and the international story — are worthy of mention.    But what surprised me the most, besides the traffic, was that nobody else on Alltop-Church or Alltop-Christian was mentioning either one of them.  And Alltop lists each blogger’s last five posts.

Perhaps they were doing “heart pieces.”  Or posting pictures of their first house.   I hope so.  Maybe they were just promoting books, getting palpitations about the next conference, or discussing their Twitter feeds.   Don’t know.   Don’t want to judge.

But I felt it was worth putting up two traffic-grabbing items the same day, because that’s when both stories were breaking.   Today however, seems a good day to take a deep breath.   And asking for your prayer requests just seems fitting today.

Sometime between now and our next meeting, we’ll cross the 100,000 mark on this blog.  (The counter is lagging by about 3,600 — we’ll fix it after it crosses the 100,000.   Keeps me humble.)  I’m very grateful for all of you even though you don’t leave a lot of comments.

And if I can find a picture of a dark green 1973 Pontiac Astre — yeah, really; please don’t ask — I’d be happy to share with you a shot of the first car I bought.  (Not even sure I spelled it right.)     And hopefully a lot more “heart pieces.”

The comments and prayer requests line is now open.

God is loaded.  One of His names is El-Shaddai- which means the God who is more than enough.  He is the God who causes our cups to overflow (Psalm 23:5).  The day we forget that God is loaded and generous, is the day we get greedy.

I rarely see people fight for food at a 5-Star Buffet.  Why?  There is more than enough food for everyone.  However, last week, while I was at America’s biggest sale of the year, Black Friday, I saw greed face to face!  The sale typically starts at midnight, and the outlets are packed.  People bring their sleep bags and camp out for days in front of Best Buy to snatch the good deals.  My wife and I waited for 2 hours to go into a particular store, just to get in!  In the parking lot, I heard people cussing each other out.  While I was crossing the street at the cross walk, someone apparently threatened to beat me up because he thought I was walking too slow. Why the greed?  The supply is limited, that is why they need to fight for everything!

When it comes to God, He’s got more than enough. In the parable of the Prodigal’s Son, the older brother is heart broken that his father killed a fat cow for his irresponsible little brother while never killing one for him.  His father’s response was: you are always with him, and everything I have is yours.  In essence, the father was saying, “You could have a cow anytime!  I have so many, and they are all yours!  Don’t get jealous of your brothers blessing, I have so much, I’m loaded, and because you’re my son, your loaded!”  If the father only had one cow that would be a different story, but he had herds!  He was loaded!

If you see your brother getting a big blessing of promotion, prosperity, etc., don’t get down about it, your Father in heaven is not poor.  He has more than enough for you!  He has so many blessings to give, and the reason you don’t have it yet, is maybe because you never asked for it, because you didn’t believe that your Father was loaded and generous, when He is!

Those who don’t believe that God is loaded and generous become jealous and greedy.

God is loaded!  If I feel jealous over my brother or sisters blessing, it tells me something, I’ve forgotten that my Daddy is loaded and generous!  God is like a Billion-Star Buffet!  He has more than enough!  God is not a Black Friday sale, scrap for the best items and prices before it’s long gone!  I don’t have to scrap or compete for the blessings of God.  If God had a limited supply, I should and would.  But, He doesn’t!  He owns a cattle on a thousands hills (Psalm 50:10) and more.  Jealous and greedy people don’t get blessed.  Those who believe that their God is loaded and generous do!  “It shall be done according to your faith.”  (Matthew 9:29)

Some people are so stingy when it comes to their money.  They don’t want to tithe or spend money on anybody else.  I’ve met plenty of people like that, and it tells me a lot about their hearts.  Do you know that one of the reasons God asks us to tithe is so that He can test us: Do my kids think that I am broke and stingy or loaded and generous? Those kids who think God is broke and stingy, and cannot and will not bless them financially, won’t tithe!  The kids who believe God is loaded and generous, and willing and able to open the floodgates of heaven and poor out a blessing

“ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty.  ”Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.”  (Malachi 3:10-12)

God is inviting us to test Him, but did you know that He is also testing us?  He’s testing to see if we really believe that He is more than enough?  Or, do we believe He’s poor and as stingy and selfish with his stuff?  “He who did not spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all, how much more will He, with Him, freely give us all things?”  (Romans 8:32) God wants His kids to believe that He is loaded and generous!  I don’t want everyone to think of me as broke and treat me like I’m homeless, that’s disrespectful, because I’m not.  One of the ways we show God respect is believing that He’s rich and acting according to that belief.  If I believe that my God is loaded and generous, then I will be generous, not greedy.

Video http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x257jo_george-michael-faith_music

Ok, so this isn’t the greatest video but I love it. George Michael has rhythm up the ying yang. Why is this important? Because I have no rhythm… seriously I have not one lick of rhythm anywhere in my whole entire body. Zip. Nada. Nil. I can barley walk in rhythm. Well ok, I can sing. But I can’t clap and sing.

I love those drum dudes. You know the ones who play things as instruments. Oh what are they called? See they have what that I don’t have is what I want.

I always say that the person who can teach me to dance is the one for me. Haven’t found that person yet.

So I showed the video to my daughters and they kept wandering off. I told them I thought it was made in 1983. Sydney (12) said it looked really old. Hello duh?! I pointed out his perfect butt. Perfect shave. Perfect rhythm. Then I told them he was really a manly looking man yeah. (Which I didn’t believe for a minute.) Then I told them he was as gay as gay can be. Big deal.

Gotta love these kids.

I am wondering what the goals of all these students are. Is it to play Call of Duty for the rest of your life? Is it to make out with people all day? I’d love to see some real direction out of these kids. Sometimes when you’ve given all you can and it doesn’t seem to make a difference or things even get worse you have to step back and evaluate things.  What is going on and why? 

I was in high school too once and I try to put myself in thier shoes. Sometimes you don’t think beyond the end of the hour. Some times all you wanted was a signifigant other. I get it. It doesn’t change the fact that working with a 130 of them a day takes a toll on you. I want them to strive for more or maybe I need a break from how highschoolers are.  ed a break from how high schoolers are and have always been. IDK. Praying about it.e to step back and evaluate things. What is going on? Why is it not working?

I guess I get it, kids have never thought long term.  Why have they had too?  It’s too bad that we have less opportunity to guide them than ever before.  We have so much red tape to follow that by the time we can actually grade, discipline or direct a student the whole neighborhood has had a form filled out. 

We can’t say anything about how we truly got to the position we got to.  I believe in a higher power and that belief and faith that He wants me to succeed drives me each day.  On top of that, He’s given the keys to success in the bible but we can’t talk about that.  They are no-brainers too.  Revolutionary for their time but come on we’ve had the bible now for two thousand years and its truths have been proven time and time again.  If anything we should be clamoring to use it to guide our students.  “Treat others as you want to be treated.”  “Respect your mother and father.”  “Do not lust in your heart.”  “Do not covet.” 

I’m amazed.  I so desperately want to impart the real reason behind why I have the outlook and attitude I do.  I’m so close to helping all these hurting kids I see each day but I can’t. 

If you’re out there kids and your reading this, know this.  You don’t have to swim through a cesspool of peer pressure and sixteen year old know it alls.  Read the bible.  Even if you don’t “believe” in God or Jesus or Christianity, read Proverbs and test those ideas out.  They are immensely helpful. 

I see a lot of you tired, hurting or maybe lazy and misdirected but regardless God can help out all of you. 

I know high school kids can be lazy and there is a time in life for testing parents and established authorities ideas to solidify and take ownership of your own.  I can also tell you that that doesn’t happen while sleeping at a desk.  I see these kids wasting away their lives in one of the coolest classes on our school.  Again I know a lot of the times there is something at home causing them to be uninterested, a divorce, abuse, etc, but at some point they need to suck it up and get to work, for their own sake.  Some of them are adults, eighteen years old. 

As schools we have become too tolerant of laziness.  I admit, why should I bug Junior to get to work when Johnny Quest is busting his tail and has a question for me.  It just kind of drags you down when a handful of kids in each class are wasting away.  If I were a student in me class I’d go to town I can tell you that much.   

I’m praying for you kids, all the time. 

“That’s not the way we do it here.”  That’s what I heard when I offered some help for a project in which I had much experience.  I saw a need and wanted to help fill that need.  That’s how my dad always defined success, and I tend to agree with him.  Nevertheless, I was shut down because I had not gone through the volunteer coordinator’s office, checked in, and finally been assigned to help.  All I want to do was to help.  I had hoped with my insight and experience to help that small group finish their project early and with greater success.  I was confident it might even enhance how future projects were handled.  And yet, I was now looking elsewhere for a place to serve.  It appeared I wasn’t wanted at this time or in this place.

Abraham had a whole different dilemma (see Genesis 12).  Here he was – an old geezer.  His wife was an old geezer too.  They were ready to ride out the rest of their days loving God, loving people.  That’s what attracted the King of the universe and all there is to their doorstep, or tent post.  He brought them in on the plans He had for the future of their people, not to mention the world and He wanted them to play point.  They were the starters in this “game” of His, but they were already too old to make it through the tryouts.  Oh well.  He says “Suit up.  You’re going in.”

Abraham and Sarah suited up and played till their dying breaths because He had seen in them something more than they could see in themselves.  Because He had called them, and commissioned them, they would always hope and rely on Him to complete that which He’d started.  And He will.  Oh, did you here Him?  He just told you to suit up too.  Come on!  Let’s get in the game!

Coming SUNDAY NIGHT December 20th – we are making a big announcement regarding the future of Cornerstone Church.  You don’t want to miss it! (AWESOME-NESS!!!)

If you see a movie over the holidays – make sure it is “Blind Side.” It is a great movie that will challenge us all to make a difference in the world around us.

We had a great weekend at Cornerstone Church as we continued our “All IN” Series. Part of our journey is to “Invite” others to Christ.

The Question of the day, Are you better with Jesus Christ in your life?

We recommend hotels, restaurants, movies and electronic gadgets because they add value to our lives.  But does Christ add value to your life?   If he does – how often do we recommend Him to people we know without him?

For me, my spiritual Journey with Jesus hasn’t always been easy, but it is the GREATEST Journey of my life. It is the Greatest Journey the world has ever known.

Are you better with Jesus in your life?

A book review that turned into a blog. I think too much sometimes.

(for those who actually take the time to read this, the book is called Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors without Borders by Dan Bortolotti)

Definitely an eye-opener, as I’ve never actually researched humanitarian organizations (sadly). Odd as it may seem and aside from the information the book held, I reached the last page with a question that pertains to faith: what compels those who don’t have a relationship with Christ to go out and give of themselves for the sake of others? As far as I know, MSF is not a religious-affiliated organization and anyone willing and qualified can apply. Though the motive is different for all, it’s interesting to me that nonbelievers would give up their lives of “luxury” to do something most Christians wouldn’t do (but I’m sure there are Christians serving in the field too). This is not to say that there can’t be those in the world who genuinely want to serve others while remaining separate from religion. I’m just curious as to what compels them to do so if it means virtually nothing in the end (as the work they accomplish isn’t exactly getting them any closer to Heaven).