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Before I retired, I routinely scheduled a week of vacation immediately after Christmas. That was the case in 2015. Cheryl and I went to have Christmas dinner with our daughter and her husband in the Metroplex. He grilled some steaks and the unseasonably warm weather allowed us to enjoy that meal on their patio! Then we headed out to west Texas to visit my wife’s parents and siblings. And it came to pass that while we were there, winter storm Goliath made his presence felt. As we were driving, we watched the temperature fall 30 degrees in 30 minutes, and it kept going. We were not in a place that had large accumulations of ice and snow, but we did have sufficient ice that we were without power for a day and a half. Battery operated candles, a wood burning stove and a small generator enabled us to get by, but it sure was a relief when the power was finally restored. I am always grateful for those who go to work under adverse conditions to make the necessary repairs to restore power.

Sitting in the dark gives you time to think. And because we were in the Christmas season when that blackout occurred, I was reminded of the passage read in many churches the previous week from Isaiah:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 

The relief we felt when the power came back on at my in-laws house was nothing compared to the joy of having God’s light shine into the darkness of this world caused by our sin.

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:9 

That is the Good News we are still celebrating this Christmas, the arrival of that true light. For those of us who have been led to faith, that is GREAT news. Jesus Christ came to us as one of us to pay our penalty for sin so that we would not have to do so ourselves. The light of the world.

The sad thing is that there are way too many in the world who are still sitting in the darkness. They don’t know about Jesus. They have not seen the light. How can we help them?

The answer is not complicated. Let them see the light in you. Shine it through your words, your actions, you daily existence.

That storm Goliath gave us an excellent opportunity to let our light shine. While it was a terrible and devastating storm, the followers of Jesus responded by letting our light shine. The tornadoes to our South and East caused extensive damage, and after we returned home, we were able to show God’s Love through disaster response efforts on the East side of the DFW Metroplex.

That is a way I can share the love of Jesus with those who are hurting and in need. You can do the same. The opportunities are all around you.

May the God who sent His light into this world richly bless you all in the New Year! Merry eighth day of Christmas.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Another brush with celebrity story. Back in 2009 I was waiting in the airport in Portland, Oregon for a flight home. I had attended a pre-convention planning meeting when I was still working with the LWML. Sitting at the gate, there was a bit of commotion as people were pointing and staring at someone, but I didn’t see who they were all interested in so I just went back to my reading. I was flying Southwest, which means there is no assigned seating. I noticed an aisle seat that people were looking at, but they all kept passing it by. When I got to that row, there was a very small lady sitting next to the window. I asked her if anyone was sitting with her. She said no, so I sat down. We made some small talk. She said she was going to speak at a women’s conference in Denver, which was where I would make my connection to Dallas. I told her I was working with a Christian Women’s organization planning a convention in Portland. She said she was a Christian, too. I asked her how she got in to being a speaker.  She said it was because of her popularity from her television show. I didn’t know it, but I was sitting next to a celebrity. I had never seen her show. I was sitting next to Amy Roloff from the show, “Little People, Big World.” I had a delightful visit with a famous person even though I didn’t know she was a famous person at the time.

We have a thing about famous people. People want to know all about them. When someone tells us that they know a celebrity personally, our first question is usually, “Wow. What’s she really like?” The tabloid press makes its money off of our desire to know the rich and famous.

That said, many famous people don’t want to be known. They complain about the paparazzi’s relentless intrusion in their lives. They disguise themselves when out in public. They protect the privacy of their families. When asked a very personal question by a reporter, they may end the interview or bolt out of the room.  It is ironic that famous celebrities often don’t want to be recognized or known.

God wants to be known. Christmas is about the lengths to which God will go to be known and loved. When John says, “The Word became flesh,” he is describing Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, as God’s premier self-revelation in human form. In other words, if you want to know this God, who so deeply wants to be known, then look at Christ. To see Jesus is to see God. “Whoever has seen me,” Jesus once told his disciple Philip, “has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Retired Lutheran Bishop Stephen Bouman of the ELCA tells of standing behind an altar in a small crypt chapel of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, in the Holy Land, the place where Mary heard that she was going to have a baby. He saw some Latin words carved into the altar: “Verbum caro factum est,” “The Word was made flesh.” But then he noticed that there was one other little word in Latin. That word was: h–i–c. Hic. “Here.” “Verbum caro hic factum est.” “The Word was made flesh here.” Probably whoever authorized that inscription meant it to refer to that specific location.  but in reality, the Incarnation means God became flesh here on earth, for all of us. The Incarnation means that we can speak of the “hicness” of God, the nearness or “hereness” of God. Incarnation means that God walked with us on earth. We were saved right here on earth. He came here, for us.

Merry seventh day of Christmas.

Merry Christmas! You probably have heard that many times already, maybe not so much the last day or so. Some folks have already taken down the decorations and put all that behind them until next year.  However, In the Church Year calendar, today is the sixth day of Christmas. You know, like in the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. Society may have started the Christmas season back in October, but in the traditional Church Year calendar observed by many Christians around the world, the Christmas season begins on December 25^th and goes up to Epiphany, January 6^th. Epiphany is the celebration of the coming of the Magi or Wise Men to worship the Christ child and offer their gifts. So we find ourselves still in the Christmas season.

As I mentioned earlier, that is a tradition. The truth of the matter is that we don’t know exactly when Jesus was born. We do know that it happened around 4 B.C., but they were not using the same calendar we have now back then, and there is no record in Scripture of the date on which Jesus was born. December 25^th is simply a day that was chosen by the Church as the time to remember and celebrate His birth.

While we do not know exactly when Jesus was born, we do know that he WAS born. And that is worth celebrating. It goes back to the announcement the angels made to those shepherds:

 “ 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.”

A teacher had been trying to get her second-graders to learn some Christmas carols. After a lot of rehearsals, she felt brave enough to take them caroling. They went to a number of places where the people were homebound. After each place, the children talked about how the older folks had smiled as they sang. The children had never seen such smiles.

The last stop was in the community’s only nursing home. There, the teacher, with her charges in tow, wandered the hallways and gave a song at the doorway of each resident. Only then did the teacher notice that one of her more enthusiastic singers had rewritten the words to one of the songs.

Where he was supposed to be singing, “Noel, Noel,” (Noel meaning Christmas, or Christmastide), he was belting out, for all to hear: “No hell, no hell, born is the King of Israel.”

While that boy didn’t know the correct words, he had the right idea. In fact, he nailed it. His words explain what Christmas is all about, probably doing a better job of explaining Christmas than the original carol. Quite simply, because Jesus Christ, God’s sinless Son, was born, because He completed all the work that was necessary to forgive our sins and save our souls, because He was nailed to a cross to be the sacrifice for sin,, there is “no hell” for those who believe in Him. That is the saving He accomplished, this “Savior… Christ, the Lord.”

I pray that is your joyful certainty and conviction as well. Merry sixth day of Christmas!

Have you ever had any brushes with celebrities? I’ve had a few. About fifteen years ago I was doing some last minute shopping the week before Christmas. I was in Academy looking at something when this fellow bumped into me. He was wearing a camo jacket and cap and had a scraggly beard – nothing about him made him stand out from anyone else in the store. He said, “Excuse me!” and I told him it was fine and he kept going. Then I noticed that a few people were following this guy around, whispering about him, then stopping him to shake his hand. I didn’t know who he was, so I finished my shopping and went to check out. I noticed this guy at another register. There was a little short blonde lady standing next to him. She was wearing a heavy jacket and ball cap with her pony tail sticking out of the back of that cap.  Everyone in the store was looking and pointing, including the young lady working the cash register in my lane. So I asked her, “Who is that guy?” She gave me a look of disbelief. “You don’t know?”  “No, I don’t.”  “That’s Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.” I said, “Okay. Who’s that?”  The look of shock on her face was even more pronounced. “They’re singers. Country Singers.” I said, “I’ll take your word for it.”  At the time, they had just started to become well known, and this was before they were married – and then divorced – but I didn’t know who they were. If I had known, I might have reacted differently. The young lady working my register thought I should have known them. To those who knew who these folks were, it was a huge deal. In fact, when I was putting my purchases in my vehicle, they walked past me again, but I still didn’t recognize them.  Some people would have loved to have been in my place, but it didn’t mean anything at all to me. I just got in my car and drove home.  When I told my kids about it, they were as incredulous as that cashier that I did not know who those people were.

How many times have you had a brush with celebrities and not even known it?

During this Christmas season, we should understand that a lot of people still don’t know who Jesus is. We know who He is and we know that He is a big deal. But not everyone knows what we know. They are like I was in that sporting goods store, clueless to the celebrity walking right past me.

Much of the world asks, “Who is this guy?” And even after being told “It is Jesus” they still have no idea what that means or who He truly is. A lot of folks hear the name “Jesus” and think He was a good guy and a great philosopher. Others think He was a scam artist and a charlatan. They have not yet been informed about His true identity. They just don’t know. A Christmas Hymn asks a great question: “What Child is This?”  It is good to reflect upon and remember WHAT CHILD THIS IS so that we will appreciate God’s gift to us even more and we will be better prepared to share Him with others.

Everyone has to be told who Jesus is at some point.

• The angel Gabriel went to Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of the Son of God, and she was more than a little taken aback by that announcement. (Luke 1:26-38)
• Joseph also had to be told who Jesus was by the Angel (Matthew 1:18-25). When he discovered Mary was pregnant and knew it was not his kid, he was ready to get rid of her. But the angel assured him it was God’s Son who would save everyone from their sins.
• When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, shepherds were also told by the heavenly hosts. They went to see for themselves this thing that had come to pass.

I wonder how many people walked by the stable that night, saw the commotion with a new baby and all those shepherds, wondered what was happening, but just shrugged and kept going. They had no idea who it was or why it was a big deal. They were as clueless as I was in that encounter with those Country Music artists. And how many people today are still clueless as to who Jesus is? What Child is This?

When Jesus came to earth—the most glorious event in history—he was largely ignored by the world. Caesar Augustus was too busy counting heads in his census to notice. There was no room for God’s arrival in town, so he was born in a livestock barn. As soon as King Herod heard that another king was born, he set out to exterminate him. They did not understand who He was.

Let me tell you who He is. This, this is Christ the King…the Babe, the Son of Mary.  God Himself … the Word made Flesh … who would one day bear the cross … for me … for you. This is God’s answer to the problem of sin.

The story of God becoming flesh to visit the Earth was ignored, neglected, rejected, and despised. Then the greatest irony of all history occurred: The Creator who took on our flesh was stripped, beaten, and executed at the hands of his own people. Yet even crucifixion could not destroy God or his love for us. He rose from the dead. He lives and he reigns! He reigns in glory! And it is in God’s self-sacrifice at the cross and empty tomb that we behold his glory most fully.

The question is whether or not we see it. People who don’t understand who Jesus is or what He has done still know that Christmas has something to do with His being born. They just don’t understand What Child This Is! Too many walk by in ignorance. They do not appreciate that He was and is the light of the world that has overcome the darkness of sin for us all.

You have the chance to rub elbows with this celebrity on a regular basis. He comes to us in Word and Water and Bread and Wine. He promised to be with us to the very end of the age. It is not a chance encounter, but a life-long relationship. Everyone needs to be told who Jesus is.

Here’s what you need to remember: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

I pray that is your joyful certainty and conviction as well. Merry fifth day of Christmas.

1 Timothy 4:10 … we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

If Jesus died for everyone, why isn’t everyone saved? I googled that question a few years back, and the articles I found all said something different.

• Universalists believe that because Jesus died for everyone, everyone will be saved, whether they believe in Jesus or not.
• Our Calvinist brothers and sisters maintain that Jesus did not die for everyone, but only for those who He knew would believe in him, using the Scriptural term the “elect.” This is often called Limited Atonement.
• There is the position that says that the invitation to be saved is offered to everyone, but some reject it and do not receive the benefit of what Jesus did.

These different positions all refer to Scripture to support their understanding. Scripture clearly says that Jesus died for the sins of all people.

• 1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

However, we also find in the Bible that not everyone will be saved.

• In the days of Noah, the wicked died unsaved in the flood (Genesis 6-9)
• When Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated (Genesis 19) those people died unsaved
• But it was not just an Old Testament thing. When Jesus was crucified, one thief was told he would be with Jesus in paradise. The unrepentant one on the other side was not told that.

People die unsaved. You have probably known some people like that.  So the question remains: If Jesus actually died for the sins of everyone who ever lived, then why does anyone go to Hell?

Again, one answer is to say that Jesus died only for those he knew would believe in Him. They will cite passages to support their position. Matthew 25 talks about Jesus separating the sheep from the goats, and John 10 has Jesus calling Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. So they say Jesus died for the sheep, but not the goats. And in Ephesians 5 it says “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her”, which they understand to say that He died only for the church and not for those who are not believers.

So how do we reconcile those passages to the ones like this?

• 1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
• [Jesus] is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

The teachings about Jesus as Savior of all has been a source of disagreement in the church for a long time, and most likely it will be until Christ returns. Let me affirm that anyone who puts their faith and confidence in Jesus as his or her Savior from sin has been saved. If you have faith that Jesus is your Savior, you are saved. That is true whether you believe Jesus died for everyone or not. If you believe He is your Savior, if you trust that His death made payment for your sin, you get the benefit of everything He accomplished for you.

Our Lutheran understanding of this issue is that all of the passages cited above are God’s Word, so they are all correct. Even if they appear to contradict, we are willing to live with that seeming conflict. If you are saved, it is God’s doing, not your own, and He deserves all the credit and honor and glory. If a person is not saved, it is because he or she rejected God’s grace, and the blame lies with that person, not God.

I heard someone explain this teaching using the illustration of a meal. God has prepared a meal and you have been called to “come and get it.” It has already been done for you. When you eat the meal, you receive it and get the benefit of it. Your eating of the meal does not make it real. It was already there and existed. The eating simply receives what was prepared for you. In the same way, faith does not cause God’s forgiveness – that was earned by Jesus. Faith receives what Jesus earned.

[Jesus] is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

Jesus is the Savior of all people and some people are not being saved. They will not eat the meal that has been prepared for them. Jesus died for all and is the Savior of all men. It is available for everyone. And those who put their faith in Jesus as a result of the Spirit’s work in their lives will reap the benefits of all Jesus earned.

Merry fourth day of Christmas.

I stumbled across this song a few years before I retired. Our Praise Team sang this just before our Christmas Eve service in 2018.  A simple yet powerful affirmation of what God did for us:  “the light has come” and “we have a Saviour.”  It also tells us how we should respond:  “Come and adore Him,” “Sing with the angels” and “Tell all the world.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0esKTjhqJII

A child has been given The King of our freedom
Sing for the light has come This is Christmas
|Come and adore Him And bring gifts before Him
Joy to the world  Worship the Son This is Christmas

CHORUS

This is Jesus Emmanuel Here with us tell all the world
We have a Saviour we have a Saviour
We are no longer lost  ‘Cause He has come down for us
We have a Saviour we have a Saviour

Sing with the angels And lift up your voices
|Join in the song of hope    This is Christmas

CHORUS

His love will reign forever

CHORUS

 Merry Third Day of Christmas.

Ever since I was in High School, one of my favorite singers has been James Taylor. I’ve always loved his clear, soothing voice. Later on, I discovered a very different singer that I liked as well from a totally different genre: Ricky Skaggs, whose roots are in Bluegrass and Gospel.  If I haven’t told you before, I like a wide variety of music.

Imagine my delight when I found that James Taylor and Ricky Skaggs collaborated on a Christmas Song!  I love the blend of their voices and the message of this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKKgOvf0VkY

They didn’t own a house, no crib no toys were waiting
Still they had their love for the child they were anticipating
He was born one winter night on a road between two towns
They wrapped him up so warm and tight and said
It looks like heaven’s come down

There was a new star shining in the sky up above
By its light that winter night
They found peace and perfect love
If we want to find it, I know we always will
For that new star is shining for us still

 He worried how to feed him on the trade that was all he knew
It was hard enough to make ends meet when they were only two
But the cold, the dark and hunger couldn’t take away their joy
And she knew that they would find a way
For their precious baby boy

 here was a new star shining in the sky up above
By its light that winter night
They found peace and perfect love
If we want to find it, I know we always will
For that new star is shining for us still

 That new star is indeed still shining. His birth brought us the Savior we needed. Heaven indeed came down to us to accomplish our salvation.

Merry Second Day of Christmas.

A young man in kindergarten had a part in his school’s “Winter Pageant.” The mother had to work the evening of the pageant, but found out there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All the parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to attend the dress rehearsal.

Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas”, the mother didn’t expect anything other than fun and secular entertainment — songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.  So, when her son’s class rose to sing, “Christmas Love“, she was surprised by its title.

Her son was excited, as were all of his classmates, wearing fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row — center stage — held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas”, a child would hold up the letter C. Then, “H is for Happy”, and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, “Christmas Love”.

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, they noticed the small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter “M” upside down — totally unaware her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at her mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her “W”. The teachers tried to shush the children, but the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and everyone saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, they understood — the reason they were there, the reason for the holiday in the first place. They understood because when the last letter was held high, instead of saying Christmas Love, the message read loud and clear:  CHRIST WAS LOVE.

And He still is. That’s what our Father gave to me, and to you, on Christmas

• Love that would not let us die in sin.
• Love that provides us with an escape, a rescue, a hope and a future.
• Love incarnate, born as one of us
• Love that will not let us go.
• Love that took our place in punishment so that we could have forgiveness and life everlasting.
• Love that rose from the dead to defeat death for us.

Love came down at Christmas, 
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
(Lutheran Worship #46, 1)

The love of God appeared in human form in Bethlehem’s most famous Son.

One more Advent hymn for your reflection and preparation this year.

The advent of our King, Our prayers must now employ,
And we must hymns of welcome sing In strains of holy joy.

The everlasting Son Incarnate deigns to be;
Himself a servant’s form puts on To set His servants free.

O Zion’s Daughter, rise To meet thy lowly King,
Nor let thy faithless heart despise The peace He comes to bring.

As Judge, on clouds of light, He soon will come again
And His true members all unite With Him in heav’n to reign.

Before the dawning day Let sin’s dark deeds be gone,
The old man all be put away, The new man all put on.

All glory to the Son, Who comes to set us free,
With Father, Spirit, ever One, Through all eternity.
(The Lutheran Hymnal #68)

The words that I will be pondering and mulling over today are in the second stanza:

The everlasting Son Incarnate deigns to be;

The one who is without beginning and without end chose to take on human flesh, becoming one of us. This not only helps us to relate to Him, but it enabled Him to be the payment for our sin!

Himself a servant’s form puts on To set His servants free.

The one in charge of EVERYTHING made Himself a servant to serve the ones who should be serving Him.

God’s grace in the form of a baby boy that would grow to carry out His mission of saving all people. Reason indeed to sing for joy.