You Who Now Will Bless the Poor

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel…
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

 

The Feast of St. Stephen is celebrated each year on December 26 in the Catholic Church. It is a day in which the First Martyr of the church is remembered. Because Stephen was also one of the first deacons of the church, this feast is also a day which specially emphasizes ministry to the poor. Stephen is remembered as being filled with faith and the Holy Spirit and with these qualities he served His Lord by serving the basic needs of others.

In the Protestant Church we generally don’t keep the Feasts of the Church Calendar. We would do well, though, to keep alive some of that which is remembered and celebrated. The 19^th century Christmas Carol, Good King Winceslas, venerates an 11^th Century King of Bohemia who was known for his good works for the poor. The last stanza tells us how blessed Winceslas was and reveals that no matter the “Wealth or rank possessing; You who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing.”

I encourage you today to “look out on the Feast of Stephen” and all through this Christmas Season to see “the poor” who still today gather to keep warm. Keeping Christ in Christmas is weeping for those in trouble, grieving for the hurting, and inviting the poor to the banquet of life!   Job 30:25 Luke 14:13

He LIVES IN A HIGH AND HOLY PLACE, AND...

For this is what the high and exalted One says
    he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,        Isa. 57:15a

God declares his Holiness. High, exalted and eternal in existence; He lives in a high and holy place. God is entirely the Holy Other, unique and completely different in all His ways! This statement calls upon those who would be called by His name to approach with fear and trembling. He is transcendent. We have not seen His likeness nor encountered His ways, even if we could somehow make our way to His heavenly abode, His radiance would blind us.

Personally, I like the thought of a high and exalted One. While this world spins through its starry course, enduring those who would literally knock it off its ordained path; I find it comforting to have One in place, even if His station is too high for me, who is untouched by the madmen and god imposters. With this picture of our Sovereign in my heart and mind, I am not shaken by the weakness that is inherent and evil which is so prevalent mankind.

The only problem with this picture is that even though I know I can’t approach that high and holy place (because of my association with and relationship to those things weak and evil) there remains a need to do just that! And further, I not only need to approach Him for salvation but I want to draw near because of Him. I want to see God, know God and feel God even if I can’t fully understand Him.

So each year, when the cold wind blows the dead leaves from trees, and the dark hours rule our day I am reminded of the fact that the God who lives in a high and holy place visits my dark days with the incredible light of hope. He who in His demands for Holiness inspired the first part of the story finishes it with a promise:
    “but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.”    Isaiah 57:15b

And its fulfillment:

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
   of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
   for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.   Luke 1:46-48

The amazing promise of Isaiah 57:15, that God would live with those who are lowly in spirit and of contrite heart is fulfilled in Mary. She recognized God’s mindfulness of her humility and the fact that it opened the door for her to receive certain and enduring blessing.
As another year comes to a close with days cold and ruled by darkness, I once again realize my great need to draw close to Him and my absolute inability to do so if it were not for a young woman and a trusting Carpenter who were recipients of the high and holy One’s promise. I still like the scripture picture of God Most High as it fills a need that I have for security, but I also enjoy God Most Nigh who comes to me in my humble state of contrition and need.

Father,
You are great and mighty, there is no one like you. I know that no one cares for me like you. Surely as the heavens are higher than the earth, your ways and thoughts are higher than my ways and my thoughts. You are Holy, but I am shaped by thoughts and desires that are not from you.

I humble myself before you, trusting in your grace and mercy. During this advent season help me to prepare my heart to continually receive you in the home of my heart. Reveal to me my errors and show me your ways. Come, Lord Jesus!

Preaching/Teaching and Church Health

“Teaching the content of Scripture, then, gives the believers under your care a framework within which they establish their whole belief system. And such teaching necessarily involves story narrative as well as doctrinal exposition. The stories are foundational to the doctrine. Nothing beats a balanced diet of the totality of Scripture.”

Bradford, James T. (2011-07-21). Preaching: Maybe It Is Rocket Science (Kindle Locations 207-214). Gospel Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

The news is out, an unbalanced diet or a diet filled with nutritionally empty but calorie rich foods is bad for your health! I would like to add a further note to that growing chorus applicable to pastors and churches. That is, if your preaching/teaching is not biblically balanced and rich in scripture content, you will be forced to pastor an increasingly unhealthy and sick congregation. They will not arrive at this overnight and it is very possible that the “creep” toward a state of unhealthiness may occur without much notice, until it culminates into illness. But rest assured it will come and the results are first of all a church that is lethargic.

 “Iron poor blood.” is an old TV commercial phrase from childhood which lingers in my memory. When you have an iron deficiency, your symptoms may range from headaches and heart palpitations to lethargy and irritability. Could this be what is happening in many of our churches where there is little or no heart for evangelism, prayer is neglected and when spiritual and behavioral headaches appear to be in abundance?   

What is the remedy? The meat of the word, of course! When the meat of the word is on the menu, then when people leave the service that is what they are talking about. If you are like me you never leave a Ruth Chris Steak house talking about the potato or the mushrooms! But in many of our churches today, the take away is not the Word but a film clip or some other eye catching side item that should never be central in worship. If I may be so bold, it seems that some have put more time in formulating a message title than studying and hearing from God so they have a real message!

Our first challenge then, in preaching toward health is that we Preach the Word! Let it inform everything you do on Sunday morning, pray until it comes alive in power in you and make it the central focus of your message!

Who Will Provide for You?

A PRAYER BASED ON THE NAMES JIREH AND SHADDAI

Father God, I call upon you today in the name of Jehovah Jireh, who is my Provider and El-Shaddai, the Almighty. In the valley of my need and on the mountain of my testing, I pray that you will quiet my fearful thoughts and still my soul, that my foot might not fail the pathway of obedience. Thank you for the great revelation of yourself as Lord Almighty and God of the Mountain who is present in your promise to those who believe.

I know that the trying of my faith has a precious end which I desire to know. As I ascend to meet those trials I ask that your great power and might sustain me. Unfetter my mind that I might begin to comprehend your great majesty and know the surpassing riches of the kingdom. In my testing, bid me to trust without giving you counsel or directing your hand. In beholding you, I bow down to worship and serve your name. Allow the names of the God of Provision and Lord God Almighty to overshadow the weakness of my flesh and draw me heavenward in gaze.

I offer and present myself as a sacrifice, that I may know the power of your resurrection and the redemption of your powerful love. Thank you for your provision of grace and it’s sufficiency to meet my every need.

A Must Read for Today's Christ Follower!

 I am presently reading an inspiring biography on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer which is filled with implications for the present day church. I am reproducing below, a part of the forward written by Pastor Timothy Keller so you can understand why I believe it is such an important read for everyone.

"It is impossible to understand Bonhoeffer’s Nachfolge (Discipleship) without becoming acquainted with the shocking capitulation of the German Church to Hitler in the 1930’s. How could the “church of Luther,” that great teacher of the gospel, have ever come to such a place? The answer is that the true gospel, summed up by Bonhoeffer as costly grace, had been lost. On the one hand, the church had become marked by formalism. That meant going to church and hearing that God just loves and forgives everyone, so it doesn’t really matter much how you live. Bonhoffer called this cheap grace. On the other hand, there is legalism, or salvation by law and good works. Legalism meant that God loves you because you have pulled yourself together and are trying to live a good disciplined life. Both of these impulses made it possible for Hitler to come to power….Germany lost hold of the brilliant balance of the gospel that Luther so persistently expounded- “we are saved by faith alone, but not by faith which is alone.” That is, we are saved, not by anything we do, but by grace. Yet if we have truly believed the gospel, it will change what we do and how we live."

Bonhoeffer

Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

Eric Metaxas

Benediction

Like most, I am intrigued by last words. After listening to a long sermon, I am more than intrigued, I am grateful for the words, "In conclusion." If I am the speaker I recognize that one of the gifts I give to listeners after Noon on Sundays is the Benediction which often includes parting words or a prayer of blessing, guidance, and good will before dismissal. Since the pronouncement, "In closing" brings rapt attention, these may be some of the most listened to words of the day. Hence, I thought I would share a wonderful Franciscan Benediction I found Years ago. In fact it is so appropriate for the day in which we live, it could possibly live on in our daily prayers!

May God Bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half -truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

SO that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

Would You Jump Too?

                                                           

 

 A question that has for many generations been attributed to moms and dads when speaking to their children is, “if everybody else in the world jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” Of course they are looking for the word “no” as the preferred answer. It is a question intended to ground an unthinking or unaware person into reality and it has worked in countless situations without question, until now. Just maybe, we should look at the reality that this adage foists upon us! The question has to do with making dumb choices in life so I do understand the intent. What I am questioning is how the underlying principle is arrived at in this instance. As I have thought about the logical “no”, I began to explore the other side of that question and ask myself, “would I really want to live all by myself?” I mean, if everyone else does jump, would I really want to do life alone? I have to confess that prospect scares me even more than jumping off the proverbial bridge!

For a person, who has mostly tried to play it safe in life, this is an unusual outlook. There were days in my life when I was much less self aware and I would have not only said “no, I would not jump” but may have also asked if those who were going to do so needed a push. Now, more than ever before I’m leaning toward taking the plunge, too!

 I am so glad for those whose lives point to the fact that life is best lived with others and the alternative is really no choice at all. God commanded man to “be fruitful and multiply” in order to fill the earth, and I think, to create the substance for communion, fellowship and parties! I know that it doesn’t fit in with the “Just Me and God Theology” so often preached today and that is fine with me because I believe that doctrine is in gross disregard of what God really intends life and salvation to be about! In fact, when God saw that man was “alone” (in fellowship with only God Himself) He entered again into His creative work to fix that problem with the end result being the creation of dogs, cats and Eve. With all theological intent laid aside at this point, when faced later with the possibility of once again living alone with the dogs and cats, Adam chose to take the plunge.

So, It is with great appreciation that I salute those who do God’s work of providing the means for a good party! I am glad they have taken the plunge, saying to the rest of us, “I don’t want to do life alone” and then make preparations for others to join in this dance of life and love, together.