THE DISTRACTION OF NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

THE DISTRACTION OF NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

Friday, December 30, 2016

Matthew [GW] 5:33-37 [Jesus explained] "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.' But I tell you don't swear an oath at all. Don't swear an oath by heaven, which is God's throne, or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. And don't swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.

Romans 7:18-25 [Apostle Paul wrote] I know that nothing good lives in me; that is, nothing good lives in my corrupt nature. Although I have the desire to do what is right, I don't do it. I don't do the good I want to do. Instead, I do the evil that I don't want to do. Now, when I do what I don't want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it. Sin that lives in me is doing it. So I've discovered this truth: Evil is present with me even when I want to do what God's standards say is good. I take pleasure in God's standards in my inner being. However, I see a different standard at work throughout my body. It is at war with the standards my mind sets and tries to take me captive to sin's standards which still exist throughout my body. What a miserable person I am! Who will rescue me from my dying body? I thank God that our Lord Jesus Christ rescues me! So I am obedient to God's standards with my mind, but I am obedient to sin's standards with my corrupt nature.

  Resolutions make for great material for comedians, but for many people they’re not a laughing matter. Failing at resolution can produce guilt, disgust, discouragement [rob of courage, leaving fearful], or even despair.

  How many resolutions are made for good reasons, but not the most important reason?

  To illustrate, let’s consider what is probably the most common oath taken every year: “I’m going to lose weight this year.” Or more clearly defined “I’m going to lose XX pounds this year.” Or the even yet more defined, “I’m going to lose XX pounds a month for the next 12 months.”

  Losing weight is certainly a healthy goal for many of us Americans, but for what reason, to what gain?

  Is our resolve based in our ego-centric corrupt nature?

I don’t like the way I look.

I’m tired of wardrobe problem.

The way I’m going the only thing I won’t have to donate to the thrift store is my knit hat.

I want to be able to _________ again.

My weight is affecting my sex life.

People make fun of me.

Compared to me, all my family and friends are trim.

I’ve got GERD, hypertension, bad cholesterol, diabetes...

I huff and puff and tire too easily.

After eating I have difficulty staying awake.

_______________________________.

 

  Or is our resolve primarily spiritually gathered from God’s Word in the desire to honor, glorify, and please our King? If not, we continue to live a distracted life . . . with resolutions doing no more than adding to the stress and confusion.

  Let us beware of the distracting disturbance of oaths made but not kept.

  Let our word sincerely be, Yes, yes; No, no; for anything is more than this is devilish says our Lord.  EBB4

SMALL BEGINNINGS

Dear fellow travelers,

  Pastor Bob and I have a wonderful deal. He e-mails me his Sunday sermon text so that I can more slowly review his message on Monday. Being -11’ and slippery I opted to stay home this past Sunday. Consequently I especially appreciated his cyber delivery on Monday morning. I share it with you now along with the suggestion of your making the same deal with your pastor. Why? Because dear Ann taught me the importance of utilizing both ear and eye gates.

To serve Him all our days,

EBB4

+++++++

 Small Beginnings

Micah 5:2-5a

Fourth Sunday in Advent

Introduction: Underdogs and Overcomers

  I’ll admit it. I watch too many sports games on TV. I especially like this time of the year when the NFL is coming down to the end of their season and the playoffs are being lined up. Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I’ve seen my share of disappointment since the 1990’s. This year I’m hopeful. There is a chance. Maybe.

  If I’m watching a game where the Cowboys aren’t playing, I’ll root for any team that isn’t New England and is the underdog. That may explain why I’m always a little depressed on Mondays. Mostly, I’m disappointed. They’re not underdogs for nothing.

  We seem to have a fascination with underdogs in America. It’s in our DNA. We like to beat the odds. We sure did against the British when this country was founded. There’s something about going against the grain – against the way things are. There are all kinds of inspiring underdog stories in sports: the Butler Bulldog basketball teams of 2010 and 2011, Kurt Warner who went from being a grocery bagger at Hy-Vee in Iowa to the Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl 34, James Braddock the surprising “Cinderella Man” who became the heavy-weight boxing champ against the heavily favored Max Baer. There are social underdogs, too, who challenged the system and overturned it. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white man and ignited the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s that forever changed the racial landscape of our country for the better.

  I don’t know. Do you ever feel that way? Do you root for the underdog? Are you captivated by the adventure of beating the odds? The world’s systems can be cruel and unjust. It’s a real delight to see them overturned from time to time. Perhaps God wired us that way…

God specializes in overthrowing the world’s system in surprising ways. An octogenarian fugitive named Moses challenged Pharaoh and the strongest nation on earth in his day. While his mission to deliver the Hebrews was accomplished, the mighty army of Egypt drowned in the Red Sea. Gideon defeated an uncountable host of Midianites and Amalekites with a tiny band of 300 men. A young shepherd boy named David armed with only a slingshot and five small stones defeated the seasoned nine foot tall champion of the Philistine army. It’s God’s way. He delights in underdogs. His ways are not our ways. Perhaps no other story in the Bible highlights God’s preference for the humble and the small than his selection of Bethlehem for the birthplace of the Messiah – the Savior of the world.

Text: Micah 5:2-5a

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace.

Prayer

Unlikely Roots

  You can’t put God in a box. His ways are not our ways. He is a God of surprises and he specializes in paradox. Do you know what paradox is? It is the situation where two things are undeniably true, but seem to be in direct contradiction to each other. The gospel is full of paradoxes: the first will be last, the servant is the greatest, and persecuted people are particularly blessed. Just read the beatitudes that Jesus taught in Matthew 5 and you will scratch your head at the world’s values turned upside down.

  The King of kings was born in the most unlikely of places. It wasn’t Rome, the seat of political and military power. Nor was it Jerusalem, the heart and soul of Hebrew devotion. No. It was the little town of Bethlehem. Think of a town like Tekamah, NE or Crescent, IA. Little towns – villages really – that don’t hold any particular significance to national or world power. It was in Bethlehem, a little village in the hill country of Judah, just five miles south west of Jerusalem that the Jewish Messiah – the Savior - would be born. The scholars of Jesus’ day knew. When questioned by Herod where the Messiah would be born, they cited this passage from Micah to indicate that it would be Bethlehem. (Matthew 2:3-6).

But in this feeble little hamlet, the Source of all power would take on the form of a helpless baby. St. Augustine reflected:

Man’s maker was made man,

That He, the Ruler of the stars,

Might nurse at His mother’s breast.

The prophet tells us that this little child would be the ruler of Israel. His origin was not just human, but eternal, for, “[His] coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (vs. 2b) John’s gospel tells us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3

Micah goes on to say, “Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth.” (vs. 3a) What he means is that the Hebrews would be without a strong shepherd and leader until Messiah comes. No wonder the heart cry of Israel since their exile in 4

Babylon has been for the Messiah to come. They need him so desperately today because the prophecy concerning him is full of promise:

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace. (vs. 3b-5a)

The greatest tragedy in all history is that his own people did not recognize him when he came. (John 1:11) You see, God’s ways are not our ways. He specializes in surprises.

God Specializes in Surprises

  Over the years we have tended to romanticize the birth of Christ. It is a fantastic story and we tell it in songs, drama, paintings, Christmas cards and in film. But as it happened, it was a story without glamour. It was gritty and hard. It was dangerous and scandalous. It is full of paradox and difficulty. It shows our humanity and brokenness. It is, after all, a very human story.

Scott McKnight, a professor at the American Baptist Northern Seminary in Chicago reminds us that “Christmas is the message of impossible odds.”1 Joseph was a righteous man, but he chose to marry a disgraced woman. He would forfeit his reputation to be obedient to God’s command. Mary would be forever known as the girl who got pregnant before marriage. The towns were too small and the people too closely related for them not to know. And her child, Jesus, would be forever branded as an illegitimate child. Without the glitz and glamour of a Christmas pageant, that’s the true story. The first witnesses were the lowly and outcast shepherds.

1 Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2014/12/11/impossible-odds/#ixzz3MCNPdiKc

  But this was God’s way. A small beginning. These are humanly impossible odds. A little non-descript village. Three people with seemingly moral baggage – at least in society’s perception.  

  This is where God’s Kingdom begins. It always does. In brokenness. In smallness. God’s Kingdom starts this way because it is revolutionary. It will overturn the world’s system that had been given over to Satan in the Garden of Eden. Bethlehem is where Heaven’s rebellion was launched against Hell.

  God, in Jesus, came into our world to become one of us. McKnight says it so well, “Christmas is a message that God has entered into the depths of our condition in order to redeem us from our condition. No matter our conditions, God’s been there and brings hope.” Let me rephrase that: Christmas is a message that God has entered into the depths of your condition in order to redeem you from your condition. No matter what your condition, God’s been there and he brings you hope.

There are others who know about this miracle birth

The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth

For it isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes

But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums

And the message is clear if you've got ears to hear

That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear

It's a Christmas gift you don't have to buy

There's a future shining in a baby's eyes

Like a stone on the surface of a still river

Driving the ripples on forever

Redemption rips through the surface of time

In the cry of a tiny babe

Bruce Cockburn, Cry of a Tiny Babe                                                                         

I like that. He came “to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums.” The lowest of the low. But the gift of salvation comes not to those who are worthy, but rather those who are humble enough to receive it. Jesus entered your condition to save you from your condition. In just a moment, we’re going to close our service with the wonderful Christmas hymn, “O Little Town 6

of Bethlehem.” If you’ve never received this Christmas gift that “you don’t have to buy” the words of the carol give you language to do just that.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n;

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

That’s the invitation. Here’s the prayer:

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.

©BMyers2016

BASEBALL VERSUS THE BIBLE

BASEBALL VERSUS THE BIBLE

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

2Timothy [GW] 2 My child, find your source of strength in the kindness of Christ Jesus. You've heard my message, and it's been confirmed by many witnesses. Entrust this message to faithful individuals who will be competent to teach others. Join me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Whoever serves in the military doesn't get mixed up in non-military activities. This pleases his commanding officer. Whoever enters an athletic competition wins the prize only when playing by the rules. A hard-working farmer should have the first share of the crops. Understand what I'm saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. Always think about Jesus Christ. He was brought back to life and is a descendant of David. This is the Good News that I tell others. I'm suffering disgrace for spreading this Good News. I have even been put into prison like a criminal. However, God's word is not imprisoned. For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive salvation from Christ Jesus with glory that lasts forever. This is a statement that can be trusted: If we have died with him, we will live with him. If we endure, we will rule with him. If we disown him, he will disown us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful because he cannot be untrue to himself. Remind believers about these things, and warn them in the sight of God not to quarrel over words. Quarreling doesn't do any good but only destroys those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker who isn't ashamed to teach the word of truth correctly. Avoid pointless discussions. People who pay attention to these pointless discussions will become more ungodly, and what they say will spread like cancer. …

  “The Bible is boring, especially all those begats. Now baseball, there’s something to occupy a man’s thoughts!”

  Thought I hold little interest in baseball or other team events, I don’t say they are boring. Do I consider reading begat lists as exciting? No, and yes. For me, reading the begat passages is a word slog, and difficult to connect the dots. Using a color coded Bible and world history charted timeline is an enlightening thought provoking happy hike thru God’s Word.

  Here’s an example:

·         Noah lived 950 years. He was about 656 years of age when the Great Flood inundated the earth. He lived nearly 300 years beyond the flood. Gen.5:32; 9:18, 19, 28, 29.

·         Shem was about 130 years old at the time of the flood, and lived to be about 600. This means he lived about 470 after the flood. Gen.11:10-11; 1Chr.1:17-27.

·         Ham lived far less, about 215 years. He was about 140 at the time of the flood, living only about 75 years after. Gen.5:32; 9:18-24.

·         Japeth lived about 300 years. He was about 180 when the flood inundated the earth, living about 120 years after. Gen.5:32; 10:2.

·         Methuselah lived 969 years. Gen.5:25-29. What I hadn’t realized is that he died shortly before or possibly in the Great Flood. Gen.7.

·         Noah outlived Ham by about 125 years and Japeth by about 160.

·         Shem outlived Noah by about 150 years.

  And this means what? Different things to different people: More boring statistics to some, mild interest in genealogy to others. Yet others, being now able to better visualize the family picture surrounding the greatest cataclysmic world event. Or possibly other perspective.

  What do we see of Eden, Noah, and beyond unto this day and our future? Or is our vision clouded by more interesting things?

EBB4

STAYING WITH OR LEAVING CHILDISH THINKING

STAYING WITH OR LEAVING CHILDISH THINKING

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Proverbs [NLT] 22:6 Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Luke 14:1-3 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.  Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” [Mt.12:10; Mk.3:2; Lk.6:7]

John 4:1-14 [Jesus and the Samaritan Woman] Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

  He had to go through Samaria on the way.  Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

  The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

  Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

  “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

  Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

John 7:38 [Jesus declared] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

1Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

  Children of all ages commonly treat parents like gas stations. They tend to go to them when they personally decide they need fuel. Adult children may continue this practice with parent and God the Father. There, as ever, is distinction between God and humans in this. The all too common way of humans is planning periods of direction, formal instruction while largely neglecting informal opportunities . . . whereas God, though He does provide available formal instruction through the Word (1Jn.1) living and written, He is also ever and always dependably available responding to our informal moments of thirsting. If and as we mature as parents, whether biological, foster, or surrogate, we then recognize, stop and seize upon informal moments -- which very well may be an fleeting actual minute or less when we are oh-so occupied with grownup activity and order.

  Picture a Christmas Eve service. Candles with paper drip guards so as to protect pew and carpet from dribble handed out as you enter the sanctuary, prayers interspersed with Christmas carols joyfully sung, nativity story retold, the lights are turned off, then an altar candle is used to light the first front/left handheld candle and then that candle is used to light a neighbors candle and so on so forth. The room is wonderfully aglow with soft flickering illumination and warm poignancy . . . and after a brief meditative silence the musicians lead in singing Christ Alone.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkIYtm16JBM&index=5&list=PL1980A88A7149287E )

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine

  A wonderful moment of worship it is for a Mom and Dad with young child standing between holding hands. Suddenly the child, loud enough for neighbor worshippers to hear, blurts out “But that’s not a Christmas song!”

  How should the parents respond?

                [_] Shush child! We are in our Christmas worship service. Please behave!!

                [_] Let’s sit down and Mommy and I will explain what Christ-mas really means and how very much Christ Alone is a proper song to sing now and during any season.

  What would God Incarnate do?

EBB4

ONLY 364 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

ONLY 364 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 26, 2016

2 Corinthian [NLT] 5:1-21

   For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

   So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

   Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

    So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

    And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

  Just think, only 364 days until Christmas!

  Do I hear a sigh of relief from some of you?

  For those that live in constant stress, anxious preparation for Christmas has moved far down the list. It has been replaced with Returns, Customer Service, bills to be paid, and possibly day-after decompression, blue funk or even depression. And then if and when such business is taken care of, there’s the still with us the troubles of family, friends, community, national and world scene.

  It’s a good time to remind ourselves of everyday applicable life facts noted in and by The Word:

·         Be careful in our relationship to others. Ecc.4:9-12; Pr.27:17

·         Life is not about cash and carry. Mt.6:24; 1Tim.6:10

·         God will never leave nor abandon His children. Heb.13:5

·         We can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6

·         Remember those that live in Philippians 4:11-13 Pauline contentment. Think about their lives. Imitate their faith.

·         Jesus Christ, The Word, is the same yesterday and today-and forever! We are not to live willy-nilly silly as though God’s Truth is foreign to us. Heb.6:18; 13:8

·         As His children we are different, yet in this world but not to be of this world; accept it, live accordingly. Tit.2:14  “[Jesus] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” 1Pet.2:9 

·         Be thankful in word and deed. 1Thes.5:16-19 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.”

·         As His redeemed people, deciding to follow Him will not always result in pleasant experience this side of heaven. Rom.8:17; Phil.1:29; 2Tim.2:12; 1Pet.4:16-19

·         Christmas the holiday is past. Christ-mas (i.e. Christ worship) is moment by moment every day. Rom.12:1-3

·         His gift is not without serious responsibility. 1Cor.15:58; 2Cor.5:1-21

·         We must think eternal-wise. Rom.12:1-3; 2Cor.10:5

  “Now may the God of peace, who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good to do his will, accomplishing in us what pleases him through Jesus Christ. To him be glory forever and ever! Amen.” (ISV Heb.13:20-21)  EBB4

SPARGANOO

SPARGANOO

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Luke 2:1-12  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

  “Sparganoo” is the Greek text word for swaddling. “Swaddling” being a foreign word in our current USA culture; seldom used in common conversation, and lacking in contemporary physical practice. It describes the Oriental Middle Eastern practice of using strips of cloth (sparganon) to bundle a baby.

  Friends Mark and Lordina Welch introduced us to both the word and practice.

  Twenty two years ago they rejoiced in the birth of their precious daughter, Aiko. With great joy they arrived home with her from the hospital, soon finding her a very noisy little lady. All night noisy!

  As all we such experienced parents know, rested or not, you still must go to work the next day(s).

  Finally, in desperation they phoned their pediatrician. The good doctor not being one to jump for his prescription pad, he explained how the frazzled parents and child could enjoy improved sleep. “Wrap the baby snugly in cloth.” Aiko slept like a baby!

  So it was in practice when Jesus began His life, swaddled in cloth, confined in the body of man. He whom formed and maintains all that was, is, and ever will be; bound and limited. To this He agreed.

  So it was that Jesus ended His life; confined, nailed to a cross with all its limitations. To this He agreed.

  So it was that he was entombed; confined, tightly swaddled in grave clothes in a tomb sealed, secured and guarded by Roman soldiers around the clock. To this He agreed.

  And yet He was, as ever, truly free; glorious example and model for our living free while temporarily swaddled this side of heaven. (Please note I said “heaven”, not “eternity”, for truly we always live life or death everlasting.)

  Life’s sparganoo is present, but can in no way restrict our God given freedom (Jn.8:36), unless of course we reject, allow, or even embrace otherwise.   EBB4

THE ENDURING POWER OF MARY'S LAMB

The enduring power of Mary’s Lamb

POSTED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015     (James P. Eckman is president emeritus of Grace University.)

  At Christmas, many in American culture still welcome manger scenes.

  We see them in churches, on front lawns and on Christmas cards. But in our increasingly secular, commercial and sexually liberated society, we keep the horizontal message of the manger but often eliminate the vertical message entirely. We like the shepherds and their lambs, but are uncomfortable with God, miracles and the incarnation.

  In short, the biblical world view about Christmas is rapidly losing market share to a more secular, materialistic one that is horizontally comfortable but vertically challenged.

So, just for a moment, let’s think biblically about the manger, about the shepherds’ lambs, and about the Lamb born that morning. Because the shepherds in the hills around Bethlehem obeyed the angelic directive (Luke 2:12), Jesus was no doubt born among lambs, which in the ancient world figuratively represented the virtues of gentleness, innocence and dependence.

But the biblical imagery surrounding the lamb goes far beyond these virtues. The lamb was also central to Jewish worship. Every day two lambs were sacrificed on the Temple altar in Jerusalem for the sins of the nation.

  The lamb was also central to the Passover, which symbolized both God’s protection and the redemption of His people from slavery in Egypt.

And it was central to Isaiah’s Suffering Servant (53:7), a Lamb who would die for His people.

To the Jewish people, the biblical image of the lamb was a reminder both of redemption and of freedom.

In the New Testament, when John the Baptist declared of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the lamb imagery took on a deeper redemptive significance.

Indeed, the New Testament further applies this redemptive theme to Jesus when Peter refers to Him as “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19) and when Paul identifies Him as “our Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

  However, of the 32 times “lamb” appears in the New Testament, 27 are in the book of Revelation, where “Lamb” is the primary title applied to Jesus. Here Jesus is the sovereign ruler, seated on the throne as the victorious warrior-lamb who deserves praise, worship and adoration. Hence Handel, in his majestic oratorio, “Messiah,” put Revelation 5:11-12 to music: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.”

  Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, not only provides redemption and freedom for sinful humanity; He also establishes God’s Kingdom on earth.

  For historic, biblical Christianity, then, the birth of Mary’s Little Lamb on Christmas morning marked a colossal watershed in human history.

  Rome ruled the Mediterranean world during a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity. As they read Virgil and Ovid, Rome’s citizens knew their Caesar through his ubiquitous statues that permeated the Empire. But that arrogant, powerful empire exists today only in ruins — important only to archaeologists and historians.

But the Lamb of God, born in that backwater town of Bethlehem, is today embraced by nearly 2 billion people as their Lord and Savior — and He continues to offer hope and reconciliation to a broken world.

Because her Lamb was both fully human and fully God, He can sympathize, identify and empathize with those who suffer. Because her Lamb became the victim of monstrous evil at His crucifixion, He will one day vanquish evil from this planet when He returns.

  This is the biblical narrative of Mary’s Lamb, who was also the Lamb of God. For that reason, Christians associate her Lamb with vicarious suffering and victorious power. Jesus is the Lamb who changed the world!

THANKING GOD FOR CHRISTMAS

THANKING GOD FOR CHRISTMAS PAST, PRESENT, AND BEYOND

Friday, December 23, 2016

1Thessalonians [GW] 5:18-21 Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this. Don't put out the Spirit's fire. Don't despise what God has revealed. Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is good.

  During WWII and “the recovery years” money was more scarce than hen’s teeth. For Christmas, most of us kids received an orange, box of raisins or hard candy, a toy of some sort, and were happy with it. Extended family gatherings were the best thing. My uncles and cousins, WWII survivors, were the greatest fun! Especially Uncle John Bullock as he kept everybody laughing with his wit . . . and often embarrassed dear Helen, his wife.

  Most people didn’t have an automobile. I was 6 or 7 when I walked with the older boys to see a neighbor’s wonderful special Christmas gift, a “New used car.” While admiring, one of the older boys snuck a touch. Fearful that the man had seen, we ran home. The tel-a-neighbor communication system of that day could have gotten the news of disrespectful behavior home before we sped around the corner. We were thankful the dreaded message didn’t come as we were concerned it may affect our Christmas.

  I only knew one older boy that got an allowance. His father was an editor for The Baltimore Sun and drove a Chrysler. Most kids didn’t have money to buy gifts. If a gift could be gotten it would be for your Mom. I remember a school teacher bringing oranges and lots of cloves to make a smell-good thing to give to our moms to put in their clothing drawer. Years later I realized the expense for the teacher. Oranges in the winter were not normal fare. We may get one in our stocking. Spices were not cheap.

  When I was 9-10 we moved from Hamilton to Dundalk. Then I began earning money selling newspapers on street cars, shining shoes on the sidewalk outside a local bar, mowing grass with reel push mower, weeding, shoveling snow, and other chores for neighbors. (Family work was family work, unpaid.)   

  A favorite winter job was tending coal furnaces for neighbors working night shift in the steel mills. I was quite good at “stoking and banking” so wives didn’t wake up freezing in the middle of the night. The pay was great. I got a whole dime each time! (Today this would be about a dollar. “Big deal.” You say? The big deal was that kids did not have money then.)

  It wasn’t long until a neighbor purchased a TV for Christmas. His wife didn’t want a bunch of kids in the house, but he allowed us to “As long as you’re quiet and don’t step on my flower beds …” watch thru the window. (His wife wasn’t happy about this arrangement either.) Summer was best because pre-AC we could hear thru the screen. Cold weather meant silent. Some of the kids got quite good at rewading lips and narrating.

  By the next cold season brother Jim and I were weary of frostbite viewing so we asked Dad if we could get a TV. He responded “Sure. Earn, save, and buy one whenever you like.” It took a lot of hustling but we finally purchased a small B&W Muntz tabletop TV. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz ) I think the cost was 97 dollars, equivalent to about one thousand dollars today.

  It was a wonderful life. The prevailing attitude was gratefulness.

  With GI generation determination, our nation continued prospering. Most acquired their own car and TV. AC came, and eventually became the norm for many. People spent more time in car and home “Doing their own thing.” Clotheslines disappeared for reason other than theft-by-boys for jump ropes and other important usage. Neighborly backyard, porch, and street conversations disappeared. The idea list of what is materially needed to live changed drastically. Acquiring, maintaining and securing stuff increased, now dominating much of society. Affluence brought with it neurosis with responding services in print and office, TV’s Dr. Phils soon playing an expansive role. Multitudes discovered they were poor!

  More and more, men when they knew God, glorified Him not as God, losing their sense of genuine gratitude, and their hearts were darkened as they increasingly became vainglorious in their thinking. (Rom.1:20-21)

  Lord, help us please. May Your Christmas peace rule our heart, producing godly attitude of gratitude.  EBB4  

CHRISTMAS AUTHENTICITY INCLUDES GODLY CONFIDENCE

CHRISTMAS AUTHENTICITY INCLUDES GODLY CONFIDENCE

Thursday, December 22, 2016

John [ESV] 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1John 3:16-21 By this we know love, that he [Jesus, the Word] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;

  What in the world does today’s above Scripture selections have to do with Christmas?!

  Considerable.

  For many folks Christmas is interpreted by lights, gifts, tinsel, and entertainment – hustle, bustle, and stress.

  Authentic Christmas means Christ-adoration, worship.

  Authentic Christmas involves personal peace and freedom; said peace and freedom heart-centered in confidence toward God.

  Confidence godly peace and freedom is inseparable from authentic Christmas.

  Without heart confident in and by godliness, Christmas is mere pagan yuletide holiday, tinsel at its utmost.

  In all the busyness of season, I encourage you to take time to read John’s entire (5 chapters) family letter to the Father’s John 1:12 children. (1John chapters 1-5)

  It took me 16 minutes without rushing to read 1John aloud this morning. What else will I do this day that will take 16 minutes of my life but be comparatively insignificant -- How many other things will I do that have little or nothing to do with authentic Christmas?

  Truly, authentic Christmas is a matter of the confident heart.  EBB4

PS. Indeed Lord Jesus came to bring “peace on earth”. He did not however say earth at peace. Though I too very much emotionally prefer a whitewashed holiday season, check it out for it too is very much a part of the Christmas story: Luke 2:1-14; Mt.10:32-38; Lk.12:51-53

CHRISTMAS DRUTHERS

CHRISTMAS DRUTHERS

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

1Thessalonians 5:18-19 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Do not quench the Spirit.

  Being from a different country, Maryland, and cultural era, the GI Generation, folks don’t always understand my parlance. Consequently, after arriving in Nebraska I soon stopped using certain expressions lest I be thought to have webs between my toes.

  One such turn of phrase is “Now if I had my druthers …” meaning “If I had my preference …” (And it isn’t just some Southern idiom. It’s a real word. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/druthers )

  Bogged down in The Christmas Druthers Syndrome some folks will swamp 1Thessalonians gratitude.

  My Dad and Mom were hard workers. Married, starting a family and purchasing a home during the Great Depression era was no easy feat. Dad worked fulltime, and on the side drove cab, cut meat (self-taught) for local Jewish family corner grocery stores, delivered newspapers, and ran a side business, and was on call to pickup the deceased for a mortician. Mom worked on military plane radios at Bendix until WWII ended, waitressed then and after, and kept house.

  We lived carefully. Brother Jim and I each had a single pair of shoes at a time, sometimes worn with cereal box inner soles to cover a hole in leather sole and keep our socks from wearing out. (Worked fine except when it rained.)

  According to present day government agency standards we’d be considered living in poverty.

  We were not poor. Not because we were too dumb to know the difference or that many around lived just like us, but because we had everything that mattered, knew so, and were thankful for it!

  Did I have druthers then? Sure did. I would have liked second pair of shoes, snazzy hi-top sneakers like a few of the other kids wore. I wished I did not to have to wear long-wearing itchy wool trousers. But there were no druthers that overrode gratitude for extended family love and security.

  I’m thankful we were impressed in that long ago time to live gratefully instead of attitude that throws a wet blanket on one’s spirit.

  I’m thankful that such Proverbs 22:6 childhood training prepared me for later financial times.

  Didn’t know the difference at the time, but oh my what a wonderful Christmas gift!

EBB4 

SMALL BEGINNINGS

 Tuesday, December 20 2016

Dear fellow travelers,

  Pastor Bob and I have a wonderful deal. He e-mails me his Sunday sermon text so that I can more slowly review his message on Monday. Being -11’ and slippery I opted to stay home this past Sunday. Consequently I especially appreciated his cyber delivery on Monday morning. I share it with you now along with the suggestion of your making the same deal with your pastor. Why? Because dear Ann taught me the importance of utilizing both ear and eye gates.

To serve Him all our days,

EBB4

+++++++

 Small Beginnings

Micah 5:2-5a

Fourth Sunday in Advent

Introduction: Underdogs and Overcomers

  I’ll admit it. I watch too many sports games on TV. I especially like this time of the year when the NFL is coming down to the end of their season and the playoffs are being lined up. Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I’ve seen my share of disappointment since the 1990’s. This year I’m hopeful. There is a chance. Maybe.

  If I’m watching a game where the Cowboys aren’t playing, I’ll root for any team that isn’t New England and is the underdog. That may explain why I’m always a little depressed on Mondays. Mostly, I’m disappointed. They’re not underdogs for nothing.

  We seem to have a fascination with underdogs in America. It’s in our DNA. We like to beat the odds. We sure did against the British when this country was founded. There’s something about going against the grain – against the way things are. There are all kinds of inspiring underdog stories in sports: the Butler Bulldog basketball teams of 2010 and 2011, Kurt Warner who went from being a grocery bagger at Hy-Vee in Iowa to the Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl 34, James Braddock the surprising “Cinderella Man” who became the heavy-weight boxing champ against the heavily favored Max Baer. There are social underdogs, too, who challenged the system and overturned it. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white man and ignited the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s that forever changed the racial landscape of our country for the better.

  I don’t know. Do you ever feel that way? Do you root for the underdog? Are you captivated by the adventure of beating the odds? The world’s systems can be cruel and unjust. It’s a real delight to see them overturned from time to time. Perhaps God wired us that way…

God specializes in overthrowing the world’s system in surprising ways. An octogenarian fugitive named Moses challenged Pharaoh and the strongest nation on earth in his day. While his mission to deliver the Hebrews was accomplished, the mighty army of Egypt drowned in the Red Sea. Gideon defeated an uncountable host of Midianites and Amalekites with a tiny band of 300 men. A young shepherd boy named David armed with only a slingshot and five small stones defeated the seasoned nine foot tall champion of the Philistine army. It’s God’s way. He delights in underdogs. His ways are not our ways. Perhaps no other story in the Bible highlights God’s preference for the humble and the small than his selection of Bethlehem for the birthplace of the Messiah – the Savior of the world.

Text: Micah 5:2-5a

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace.

Prayer

Unlikely Roots

  You can’t put God in a box. His ways are not our ways. He is a God of surprises and he specializes in paradox. Do you know what paradox is? It is the situation where two things are undeniably true, but seem to be in direct contradiction to each other. The gospel is full of paradoxes: the first will be last, the servant is the greatest, and persecuted people are particularly blessed. Just read the beatitudes that Jesus taught in Matthew 5 and you will scratch your head at the world’s values turned upside down.

  The King of kings was born in the most unlikely of places. It wasn’t Rome, the seat of political and military power. Nor was it Jerusalem, the heart and soul of Hebrew devotion. No. It was the little town of Bethlehem. Think of a town like Tekamah, NE or Crescent, IA. Little towns – villages really – that don’t hold any particular significance to national or world power. It was in Bethlehem, a little village in the hill country of Judah, just five miles south west of Jerusalem that the Jewish Messiah – the Savior - would be born. The scholars of Jesus’ day knew. When questioned by Herod where the Messiah would be born, they cited this passage from Micah to indicate that it would be Bethlehem. (Matthew 2:3-6).

But in this feeble little hamlet, the Source of all power would take on the form of a helpless baby. St. Augustine reflected:

Man’s maker was made man,

That He, the Ruler of the stars,

Might nurse at His mother’s breast.

The prophet tells us that this little child would be the ruler of Israel. His origin was not just human, but eternal, for, “[His] coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (vs. 2b) John’s gospel tells us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3

Micah goes on to say, “Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth.” (vs. 3a) What he means is that the Hebrews would be without a strong shepherd and leader until Messiah comes. No wonder the heart cry of Israel since their exile in 4

Babylon has been for the Messiah to come. They need him so desperately today because the prophecy concerning him is full of promise:

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

And he shall be their peace. (vs. 3b-5a)

The greatest tragedy in all history is that his own people did not recognize him when he came. (John 1:11) You see, God’s ways are not our ways. He specializes in surprises.

God Specializes in Surprises

  Over the years we have tended to romanticize the birth of Christ. It is a fantastic story and we tell it in songs, drama, paintings, Christmas cards and in film. But as it happened, it was a story without glamour. It was gritty and hard. It was dangerous and scandalous. It is full of paradox and difficulty. It shows our humanity and brokenness. It is, after all, a very human story.

Scott McKnight, a professor at the American Baptist Northern Seminary in Chicago reminds us that “Christmas is the message of impossible odds.”1 Joseph was a righteous man, but he chose to marry a disgraced woman. He would forfeit his reputation to be obedient to God’s command. Mary would be forever known as the girl who got pregnant before marriage. The towns were too small and the people too closely related for them not to know. And her child, Jesus, would be forever branded as an illegitimate child. Without the glitz and glamour of a Christmas pageant, that’s the true story. The first witnesses were the lowly and outcast shepherds.

1 Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2014/12/11/impossible-odds/#ixzz3MCNPdiKc

  But this was God’s way. A small beginning. These are humanly impossible odds. A little non-descript village. Three people with seemingly moral baggage – at least in society’s perception.  

  This is where God’s Kingdom begins. It always does. In brokenness. In smallness. God’s Kingdom starts this way because it is revolutionary. It will overturn the world’s system that had been given over to Satan in the Garden of Eden. Bethlehem is where Heaven’s rebellion was launched against Hell.

  God, in Jesus, came into our world to become one of us. McKnight says it so well, “Christmas is a message that God has entered into the depths of our condition in order to redeem us from our condition. No matter our conditions, God’s been there and brings hope.” Let me rephrase that: Christmas is a message that God has entered into the depths of your condition in order to redeem you from your condition. No matter what your condition, God’s been there and he brings you hope.

There are others who know about this miracle birth

The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth

For it isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes

But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums

And the message is clear if you've got ears to hear

That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear

It's a Christmas gift you don't have to buy

There's a future shining in a baby's eyes

Like a stone on the surface of a still river

Driving the ripples on forever

Redemption rips through the surface of time

In the cry of a tiny babe

Bruce Cockburn, Cry of a Tiny Babe                                                                         

I like that. He came “to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums.” The lowest of the low. But the gift of salvation comes not to those who are worthy, but rather those who are humble enough to receive it. Jesus entered your condition to save you from your condition. In just a moment, we’re going to close our service with the wonderful Christmas hymn, “O Little Town 6

of Bethlehem.” If you’ve never received this Christmas gift that “you don’t have to buy” the words of the carol give you language to do just that.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n;

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

That’s the invitation. Here’s the prayer:

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.

©BMyers2016

CONTRARY TRIBALISM

CONTRARY TRIBALISM

Monday, December 19, 2016

Jude [MKJV] 1:1-3 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the ones called in God the Father, having been set apart, and having been kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Having made all haste to write to you about the common salvation, beloved, I had need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.

  It didn’t take long after Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden for tribalism to become customary. Reviewing history we see it convoluted culturally and geographically. In USA contemporary history , other than sports team rivalry, our citizenship general opined that tribalism is over there, not here; a US ßà them. But that was yesterday, and now here it’s spelled “NO COMPROMISE!!”

  Anyone not noticing the drastic change hasn’t been following current news. Including the NIMBY Cherry County (NE) wind farm battle the morning news reports are full of rancorous divisions. The lingering factionalism of the last national election is a major illustrative case. No musketry as yet, and I pray never to be, but citizenry attitudes remind me of our pre-civil war history and the thereafter that took many decades to alleviate from utmost to lesser.

  Is such rancorous divisive implacable tribalism a sin? I believe so.

·         Sin is missing the target, erring from the path that merciful Sovereign Jehovah God has set before us.

·         Sin is counter to authentic “worship” as is explained in Romans 12:1-3.  

·         Sin is counter to “charity” explained in 1Corinthians 13.

  Please carefully prayerfully consider the passage I’ve chosen for meditation this day:

Philippians 4:4-5

(ASV)  Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

(CEV)  Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here.

(ESV)  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

(GW)  Always be joyful in the Lord! I'll say it again: Be joyful! Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near.

(ISV)  Keep on rejoicing in the Lord at all times. I will say it again: Keep on rejoicing! Let your gracious attitude be known to all people. The Lord is near:

(KJV)  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

  Seriously considering all of the above in the light of the exhortation that we are to “contend earnestly for the faith”, said efforts grounded in Christian moderation negating or alleviating personal or group contentiousness, we may enjoy and contribute to an authentic merry Christ-mas.

EBB4