Healing Rays of Righteousness

The Christ Is Among Us

For the past few weeks, we focused our thoughts on God’s coming down to us and being near to us as “Emmanuel,” God with us. On Christmas Eve we remembered and celebrated the angels announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds; “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” 

But within the next few days, we begin to take down the Christmas lights and decorations and move back into our daily routines.  Soon thoughts of Christ’s birth into our world seem more distant and often discarded with the used wrapping paper or boxed up with the nativity scene to be brought out again next Christmas.  Soon God is once again sent back into the heavens, no longer the Word made flesh; no longer the Word that dwells among us, full of grace and truth; no longer the ever-present Lord in our midst.

Over the next several days weeks we may be asked, “What did you get for Christmas?”  For me, the answer would be, “I got a Savior, and he is with me, down here in my world.”  And, I hope to be more intentional in claiming and living this reality as I move beyond the celebration of Jesus’ birth and prepare to enter into the new year of 2019.

In her book, At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon writes of a time when Father Tim, an Episcopal priest, heard a horrible scream from the sanctuary of his church.  As he came closer, he began to understand the anguished words that made up the scream:  “Are…you…up…there?”

And Jan writes, “Father Tim slid into the pew across the aisle and knelt on the worn cushion.  “You may be asking the wrong question,” he said quietly.  Startled, the man raised his head.  “I believe the question you may want to ask is not, ‘Are you up there?’ but, ‘Are you down here?’”  

Before Jesus was born, God would visit His people by performing mighty and miraculous works.  Whenever He made such visits, God’s people would stack stones or build a monument or erect a synagogue in honor of God’s visit.  The physical erection of monuments and buildings was their way of saying, God was here.  The power and presence of God had visited them in a place, and so in order not to forget the event, they constructed a reminder.

But when Jesus entered the world the verb tense changed from the past to the present tense, from “was” to “is.”   Jesus stepped down out of heaven and made His dwelling place among us.  He moved into our neighborhood.  He took up residence on this planet so we could better understand and know God.  His Spirit lives within us, giving us life and light and love.

John’s Gospel tells us that the Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us.  This Word, the Word that was at the beginning, the Word that was with God, the Word that was God, became something we can grasp and understand.

Jesus Christ, the Word, certainly is “up there,” but we must never forget that he is also “down here.”  Because of Jesus’ birth, who is the incarnation of God, we now say, “God is here.” 

In Jesus, God “… became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).  In Jesus, God came into our world and into our every day, mundane things of life.

In his act of becoming human, God experienced and shared in the pains of human life on earth.  He felt the pain of loneliness, the hurt of rejection.  He felt the pain of grief in losing a loved one to death.  He felt the pain of mental and physical abuse.  And so, he understands and empathizes with us completely, feeling our pain.  God is here – he feels, he hurts, and he cries.

We may often think of God as being up there – far removed from the cares and concerns of this world.  But, the good news truth is that knowing we could never reach him in heaven, and because he so greatly loves us, God became human in Jesus and came down to live among us.

Pray with me: “Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay   Close by me forever, and love me I pray. Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.” 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 26, 2018

The Christ Is Among Us

For the past few weeks, we focused our thoughts on God’s coming down to us and being near to us as “Emmanuel,” God with us. On Christmas Eve we remembered and celebrated the angels announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds; “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” 

But within the next few days, we begin to take down the Christmas lights and decorations and move back into our daily routines.  Soon thoughts of Christ’s birth into our world seem more distant and often discarded with the used wrapping paper or boxed up with the nativity scene to be brought out again next Christmas.  Soon God is once again sent back into the heavens, no longer the Word made flesh; no longer the Word that dwells among us, full of grace and truth; no longer the ever-present Lord in our midst.

Over the next several days weeks we may be asked, “What did you get for Christmas?”  For me, the answer would be, “I got a Savior, and he is with me, down here in my world.”  And, I hope to be more intentional in claiming and living this reality as I move beyond the celebration of Jesus’ birth and prepare to enter into the new year of 2019.

In her book, At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon writes of a time when Father Tim, an Episcopal priest, heard a horrible scream from the sanctuary of his church.  As he came closer, he began to understand the anguished words that made up the scream:  “Are…you…up…there?”

And Jan writes, “Father Tim slid into the pew across the aisle and knelt on the worn cushion.  “You may be asking the wrong question,” he said quietly.  Startled, the man raised his head.  “I believe the question you may want to ask is not, ‘Are you up there?’ but, ‘Are you down here?’”  

Before Jesus was born, God would visit His people by performing mighty and miraculous works.  Whenever He made such visits, God’s people would stack stones or build a monument or erect a synagogue in honor of God’s visit.  The physical erection of monuments and buildings was their way of saying, God was here.  The power and presence of God had visited them in a place, and so in order not to forget the event, they constructed a reminder.

But when Jesus entered the world the verb tense changed from the past to the present tense, from “was” to “is.”   Jesus stepped down out of heaven and made His dwelling place among us.  He moved into our neighborhood.  He took up residence on this planet so we could better understand and know God.  His Spirit lives within us, giving us life and light and love.

John’s Gospel tells us that the Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us.  This Word, the Word that was at the beginning, the Word that was with God, the Word that was God, became something we can grasp and understand.

Jesus Christ, the Word, certainly is “up there,” but we must never forget that he is also “down here.”  Because of Jesus’ birth, who is the incarnation of God, we now say, “God is here.”  In Jesus, God “… became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).  In Jesus, God came into our world and into our every day, mundane things of life.

In his act of becoming human, God experienced and shared in the pains of human life on earth.  He felt the pain of loneliness, the hurt of rejection.  He felt the pain of grief in losing a loved one to death.  He felt the pain of mental and physical abuse.  And so, he understands and empathizes with us completely, feeling our pain.  God is here – he feels, he hurts, and he cries.

We may often think of God as being up there – far removed from the cares and concerns of this world.  But, the good news truth is that knowing we could never reach him in heaven, and because he so greatly loves us, God became human in Jesus and came down to live among us.

Pray with me:  “Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay   Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,   And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 26, 2018

Listen To The Angel

In the first two chapters of his Gospel account, Luke records that an angel appears on three separate occasions bringing a very special message of good news from God. Let’s listen to the angel and let the messages from God penetrate our hearts and minds as good news to us today.      

The first appearance is to a childless priest named Zechariah, who is startled and gripped with fear at the sight of an angel standing by his side.  The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid; Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.”(1:13).

The second appearance is to a virgin named Mary, who is greatly troubled and wondering about the angel’s words to her. “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you. … “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” (1:28-30).

The third appearance is to a group of terrified shepherds on a night-time hillside near Bethlehem. “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (2:10-11). 

In all three occasions, the angel’s sudden and unexpected appearance caused great fear and anxiety.  And in all three occasions, the angel reassured the recipients of God’s special message that there was nothing to fear.  To Zechariah, “your prayer has been heard.”  To Mary, “ you are highly favored!  The Lord is with you. … Mary, you have found favor with God.”  And to the shepherds, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” 

That same message continues to be spoken to all persons “gripped with fear” “greatly troubled” and “terrified” today.  To all I say, listen to the angel speak the same words to you personally. I say this because I believe the purpose of God’s coming into our world as a human being is to save us from our fears and bring light and life into our darkness. 

One of the great spiritual writers, Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest, wrote that “fear is the single most important and tragic emotion in our lives.” He’s right.  Fear is the emotion that controls us most often in our decision-making and actions.  There is a healthy fear that causes us to be cautious and careful, to give respect toward, and make good life-giving decisions.  Then there is the opposite kind of fear that handicaps, paralyzes and separates us from experiencing life as God would have us enjoy.

The prophet, Isaiah, spoke to our fears in a prophecy concerning God’scoming to us as the Messiah (Isaiah 35:4) – “Say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, …he will come to save you.”

To believe that God is greater than us is one thing.  To believe that God is a strength sufficient for us in every circumstance, inspires us with confidence.  But to believe that God is not only almighty and all-sufficient, but that he is also the sovereign, loving, forgiving God who is with us, and that he is God who best understands us, is unquestionably the best truth we can have and hold for all of life.

Let the startling truth grip you. Get emotional about it.  God came down to us in Jesus, taking on the flesh of a vulnerable, helpless, human baby, so that he could become deeply involved in our human situation.  God became what we are, in order that we might become what he is.  He came to resolve once and for all our human sin problem and to reconcile us back into a close, intimate, forever relationship with himself.  He came to save us from all our fears and darkness.

Christmas is about God coming to down us, to be a very close companion in our experiences of sin, sickness, sorrow, and the often difficult routines of life and work.  He wants his caring love, peace, and joy to daily overshadow and indwell us; and for the same to be reflected in our relationships with all persons and in every situation.

Christmas is about “Emmanuel,” that is, God with us and continually speaking into my life and your life, “Greetings, you are highly favored!   The Lord is with you.” 

And so, if darkness and doubts cloud your thoughts and spirit this Christmas week, listen again to the angel’s message to you, “Do not be afraid. Your prayer is heard. I bring you good news.  Today a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord.”

Sing with me – Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;

                        Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”

                        Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies;

                        With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 19, 2018

Believing God’s Promise

Read Luke 1 & 2

We love to hear the story and music of Jesus’ birth during the Christmas holidays because it is portrayed as a beautiful, wonder-filled, serene event.  But isn’t that a misreading of the story?

Think about the many difficulties and pain Mary experienced in giving birth to Jesus.  When her pregnancy became evident, she suffered the scorn of her neighbors.  Most likely Mary could not walk anywhere in her hometown without hearing derogatory remarks about her pregnancy and Joseph, the man she loved.   We can rightly assume that there were many times when her joy of carrying the promised Christ child was mixed with the painful hurt of cynical neighbors.  The pregnancy was often not enjoyable.

The trip to Bethlehem was a trip imposed on Mary and Joseph by the government.  And the timing of the mandated trip could not have been worst.   Mary is now heavy with child, making walking very difficult and riding atop a donkey most uncomfortable to say the least.  During the many days and many miles that it takes to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, she alternates between walking and riding, feeling every bump in the road, every misstep of the donkey as it was pulled along by Joseph.   The journey was neither easy nor enjoyable.

By the time they reach the little town of Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph’s bodies ache with soreness and exhaustion.  They must find a room to rest.  But the inn was filled and the only space available was in a smelly stable with the animals.  But at least they could rest on the straw, and there was a manger that could be used as a protected place for the baby if it should be born that night.  The night’s lodging place was neither pleasant nor comfortable.

Some months later the government again interfered, causing Mary and Joseph the need to flee to Egypt with their baby until the ruler died.  We can be reasonably certain that when Mary and Joseph left home in Nazareth they never planned for this trip into Egypt.  Everything seemed to be happening contrary to the way Mary dreamed it would be.  This political intrusion into their lives was neither expected nor joyous.

From the moment of the angel’s announcement to Mary of Jesus’ birth, until the moment of his death at Calvary, life for Mary and Joseph took many unplanned, difficult, and painful turns.  And yet, they both remained faithful in believing God’s word to them that the baby they were parenting was indeed the long-awaited promised messiah; and they willingly submitted to God’s plan for their lives, knowing that their child would be a blessing to them and to all the world.

Likewise, life may not have been easy or comfortable for many of us.  There have been those unexpected and difficult experiences that have silenced our dreams and dimmed our hopes for a better life.  There have been painful losses and detours that have caused us much pain and confusion.  It seems that the Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope of Christmas are far removed from us, and we find it difficult to feel any Christmas happiness or reason to celebrate during the joyous Christmas season.

Nevertheless, and for that reason, I encourage myself and you to listen carefully and hear the loving invitation of the Christmas carol;

“And you, beneath life’s crushing load, Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way  With painful steps and slow;

Look now, for glad and golden hours  Come swiftly on the wing; 

Oh, rest beside the weary road  And hear the angels sing.”

My own faith is encouraged as I listen to the many Christmas carols and hear the angels sing about the heartbeat of God’s love for me and you; and his promise of presence and salvation.

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her King. 

Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love.”

Christmas is God’s answer to our broken and joyless life.  Christmas is the good news that God wants to do something about our failures and fears, our pain and confusion.  And so he comes down into our personal world to forgive, heal, and restore us to wholeness and life with him.  Christmas is the celebration of God’s ageless promise to bless us with his amazing love.

Let us pray;

“O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend on us, we pray. 

Cast our sin, and enter in; Be born in us today. 

We hear the Christmas angels  The great glad tidings tell. 

O come to us;  abide with us, Our Lord, Emmanuel.”

 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 12, 2018

Joyous Hope-Filled Good News

Read Isaiah 61:1-3

Filled with the Spirit of God, the prophet Isaiah promised great joy to the world — through the proclamation of the good news, through the binding of the brokenhearted, through liberty for captives and release for prisoners (61:1-3).

Hundreds of years later, the angels proclaimed to the shepherds the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

When Jesus launched his ministry 30 years later in the Nazareth synagogue, he read the prophetic scripture from Isaiah 61 and then rolled up the scroll and said to the gathered worshippers, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Another hundreds of years later, Isaac Watts echoed the angel’s message in poetry and George Frederick Handel set those words to music:                                                                                                 Joy to the world!  the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King.                                                                    Let every heart prepare Him room, And heav’n and nature sing.                                                                He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove,                                                 The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love.

Nevertheless, worldwide stories of human depravity – sin, carnality – capture the news headlines and fill the airwaves on a daily regularity.  The news clearly indicates that we are an ethically, morally, and spiritually bankrupt people.  There is very little good news to be found here.  Hope is in scarce supply.

Even so, hope is the joyous good news of Christmas.  John Greenleaf Whittier said it so well when he wrote:                                                                                                                                                                                  I heard the bells on Christmas day, Their old familiar carols play;                                                              And wild and sweet the words repeat, Of peace on earth, good-will to men.                                        And in despair I bowed my head,  There is no peace on earth I said;                                                         For hate is strong and mocks the song, Of peace on earth good-will to men.                                       Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;                               The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.

I remember as a young teen-ager walking home from the neighbor’s house after darkness had settled across the field, railroad tracks, small stream, and meadow that separated our two houses.  I remember how much less fearful I was when I could see the porch light of our house, and how relieved I was to have the darkness of the night give way to the bright lights of home.

This is the story and message of Christmas.  God enters the darkness of our world and replaces the darkness of fear with the peace of his light and presence.

On one dark night a mother said to her fearful child as she put her into bed, “There’s nothing to fear in the dark.  And besides, the angels are near you.”  The child replied, “But, mommy, I don’t want angels.  I want a skin face to be with me.”

In the opening verses of his gospel of Jesus Christ, John declares that God came to fearful man with a skin face, namely Jesus; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. …In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (1:1-4, 14).

There is not a more amazing and beautiful picture of the almighty, holy God than that which shows him coming down to us human men and women as our companion and provider in our experiences of sin, sickness, sorrow, and the daily routines of living.  In Jesus Christ, God made himself human, visible and tangible so that we could become his beloved sons and daughters.

CHRISTMAS is more than just lights and trees and presents. CHRISTMAS is all about God’s answer to our brokenness.  CHRISTMAS is about the good news that God comes down to earth to do something about our sinfulness, our failures, and our fears.  He comes to forgive, heal, and restore us to wholeness, because he so greatly loves us.

When darkness and fears arise in your thoughts and spirit this Christmas season, hear the message of the heavenly angel, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Lk. 2:10-11).

When you hear the joyous singing of Christmas hymns and carols, listen intently to the heartbeat of God’s love for you.                                                                                                                                           “Joy to the world, the Lord (of light and hope) is come!”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – December 5, 2018