Christmas...

may you each travel to the manger this night and worship the King...  for this is what Christmas is truly about...






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God's Love in Action...

To get to Easter, you have to go through Good Friday... which wasn't so "good" when it happened... Jesus' blood, Jesus' life for our sins... the price for our salvation... the price for our reconciliation with God... a brutal and savage act done to one who was innocent of any sin... for my sins and your sins... because God loves us so much...

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

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Faith Reflections: "Foxhole" Prayers

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.” 

   [Jonah 2:1 New International Version of the Bible]

Read: Jonah 1:17 - 2:10    [Found in the Old Testament of the Bible]

Everyone knows how it goes… the time for the dreaded test [Math, English, Science, whatever] has arrived, and you begin to pray madly that God will help you pass it. Or maybe you’re in trouble, and you know you need help, and even if you don’t usually do a whole lot of praying other times, this time you do. You even try to make a deal with God. “God, if you help me, I’ll…”

Some people call those types of prayers “foxhole” prayers… prayers that are said when someone is in a lot of trouble, is maybe scared, and needs a lot of help. Everyone at some time or another has prayed a “foxhole” prayer.

It is ok to ask God for help in these situations. In the Bible, Jonah had the same experience. He ran away when God wanted him to do something, and now was in big trouble, sitting inside a big fish that had swallowed him up. Even though Jonah probably thought God was mad at him, he still prayed and asked for help. Sometimes God is the only one who can help. Don’t be afraid to ask for his help. He is always listening.

I gave up chocolate for Lent...

This morning in Sunday school, as we began to talk about Lent, one of the youth said, "I gave up chocolate for Lent!"  My reply was a question.  "Why?  Why did you give up something for Lent?"  I wanted to know if she or anyone else in the class knew why people "gave things up" for Lent.  Many times, during this Lenten season of the Christian year, people "give something up"...  but if there is no understanding of the reason why this is done at this time of the year, then this becomes a meaningless ritual.

Lent is the 40 day time of the year [not counting Sundays] before Easter during which Christians take time for introspection, for soul searching, reflection and repentance...  it is a time of growing in one's faith in preparation for the coming of the death and resurrection of Christ.  In the earliest days of the church, Christ-followers re-dedicated themselves to the faith, and new converts learned about the Christian faith as they prepared for baptism.  "Giving something up" was done to help a person focus on the ideas of reflection, repentance, renewal and spiritual growth during this time of the year. 

While giving up chocolate might not seem to be something that would help a person focus on spiritual soul searching, it can still help as a little reminder...  for example, every time you think about eating chocolate and then remember that you have given it up for Lent, as you begin to wonder, "Why did I give up chocolate?!!", you can then remember to ask yourself that question suggested by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement... a question he suggested we all take time to ask of ourselves and each other on a regular basis regarding our relationship with God: "How is your soul really doing"?  

While some people take it very seriously, giving something up for Lent is not a "legalistic" requirement of the Christian faith...  and you don't have to give up only food items...  you can give up watching TV for a certain amount of time each day, or give up some other activity for a certain amount of time each day...  what you give up and for what amount of time is your choice...  because ultimately, it doesn't matter what you have given up, or even if you have given something up...  ultimately, what really matters is the answer to the question:  How is your soul really doing?

  

Take this season of Lent to reflect on how your soul is really doing...  and to grow in your relationship with God...  and if you are wondering how you can grow if you don't currently have a relationship with God, all it takes is one small step of reaching out for God... and you will find that God has been there all along.

can God love even me?

I have met people who think it is not possible that God would love them... they think they have done such terrible things that it would be impossible for God to love them, and because of this, they believe they could never live in a right relationship with God...  or even live in heaven with God after they die...  and then there are those who think they already live in hell... so why bother? 

The other day, I was reading in the Bible, in the New Testament book of Romans,  and I came across this passage which states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.  As the scriptures tell us, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced'.  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.  They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.  For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." Romans 10:9-13  [The scripture referred to in verse 11 is from Isaiah 28:16 in the Old Testament and the scripture referred to in verse 13 is from Joel 2:32 in the Old Testament.]

This letter was written by the Apostle Paul, and in it he is speaking to both Jews and non-Jews [known as Gentiles].  Although he wrote this almost 2000 years ago, he still speaks to people today through this letter.  

Let me encourage anyone who might think they cannot be saved or receive help from God.  In this letter, Paul states very clearly that anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved...  this is a promise meant not only for people who lived thousands of years ago, but also for those of us who live today!!  It does not matter what you have done up to this point, or what your life is like now... if you want God [the LORD] to help you make better choices or live a better life, all you have to do is ask.  God is listening!!