Life This Side of Heaven

This night of our holy Savior’s birth is not a distraction from this fear-filled and inquity-infected world, it’s the antidote! It’s the front page news announcing the cure for sin, shame and death. In love, God sent His Son to save us! The angel reports, “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

This year you and I have been told not to hit the road, not to book flights and not to line up for the train. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend “postponing travel and staying home, as this is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.” As you and I kick the rug and lament that we’re going to be on our own this year for Christmas, it might be useful to recall that’s how seems Joseph and Mary found themselves as the events of that first Christmas drew near.

“With so much going on in the world right now …” Have you heard that phrase recently? It’s been used to launch any number of conversations and news stories this past year. But, it's also a phrase that's been used in almost every year. In the Christmas Gospel, Luke lifts our sight to see the hand of God at work in the midst of all of it. God was pleased to move empires and all of history to ensure your eternal redemption.

It’s the kind of thing that you read and hear about, but you never expect it’s going to happen to you. Mary may have thought this as she heard the angel's announcement. As you hear the familiar words of the Christmas Gospel this week, we have read them and heard them before. But God wants you to know that these words of the forgiveness His Son came to bring are for you.

Living Christmas trees have caught on in recent years. As opposed to cut trees, these trees are sold in containers of soil and intended for replanting after its use as a Christmas tree. They usually usually include such varieties as Spruce, Pines and Firs. Hey, but what about ... an oak? Okay, chances are good that you may not think about an oak tree when we think of Christmas, but Isaiah uses this interesting image to describe the wonderful salvation that God has given to us.

Do you know what day it is today? Here's a hint: It involves a piece of clothing that you can wear at this time of the year. However, Isaiah describes something that you and I now wear every day through faith.

Have you ever played the game, “Who am I?” Here's one of those great, old parlor games that especially fun to play at Christmastime with your family. It almost sounds like the priests and levites were sent to play this game with John the Baptizer. You and I can play this game as well. It begins by recognizing who we are not and and who we are.

As parents, aunts and uncles continue toy shopping as Christmas approaches, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reminds them to watch out for those toys which present a danger to children. And they provide a number of useful tips. As we get ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior once again this year, Paul also gives us some useful safety tips to keep in mind.

Why can’t Christmas last all year long? That’s usually the lament that comes up shortly after the celebration on December 25. However, you and I are still ten days away from Christmas Day. Here’s an opportunity to be proactive. So, before that morning, take a closer look at what the apostle means when he describes the source of endless joy, continual prayer and unshakeable thanksgiving that lasts well beyond the holiday – and every day.

Oyez, oyez, oyez! The town crier, or bellman, would inform the people of the latest news and important proclamations. In Isaiah, a message was heralded that has been heard down through the centuries all the way to you this day. Here's great news to be heard in these days leading up to Christmas.

Today is National Poinsettia Day. Have you ever wondered how poinsettias came to be associated with Christmas? There's a popular legend attached to them. However, as with so many songs and stories that crop up in Christmas celebrations, the focus often shifts to the gifts we bring to our Savior – rather than the gift that God has brought to us. When it comes to the question of what you and I should bring to our newborn King, John the Baptizer reminds us of what God Himself invites us to bring.

What do you make of the apparel of John the Baptizer? Some have wondered if it reflected the poverty of the prophet. But, actually, it has much more to do with his message than a money clip.

Clusters of mistletoe, with their tiny white berries, are hung as Christmas decorations and couples often share their affection by exchanging a kiss when they stand underneath them. Well, as you can imagine, this came to a screeching halt this year when COVID arrived. However, the Psalmist describes a kiss that at one time also seemed unimaginable. It’s found here in Psalm 85.

Like most homes you probably have a checklist of things to get ready for Christmas each year. Mailing cards, wrapping packages, baking cookies ... As you and I approach the celebration of Christmas during this season of Advent, it’s useful to take note of the preparations that God made to get the people ready for the coming of His Son. Here's the important and useful preparation that can so easily be overlooked in the run up to Christmas - in this year or any year.

A variety of delivery services have all indicated that the deadline for packages to be delivered by ground service in time for Christmas is fast approaching. They want people to be ready. However, with so many packages being shipped this year, some are saying that delays may be inevitable. There was no delay in our Savior's first coming and Peter assures us that the same is true for the day when He will come again. It will take place in the fullness of time and right on time. Here's how God has prepared you and me for that day. Here's how you and I are ready.

In the nineties a small, desert town built a sign that was to serve as a giant beacon promising weary travelers rest and comfort. In Isaiah, the prophet describes another beacon in the desert. And if you’re wearied by your sins, and feel far away from God, here’s wonderful good news. Look up and see what’s coming. The voice of the Lord cries out, “Comfort.”

To avoid missing a good sale savvy shoppers have taken to downloading apps for their phones that track the prices of items they have their eye on. You enter those items on a “Watch List” and it will watch for you. And then, if there is a price drop, the app automatically sends you and notification so that you don’t miss the deal. The day dawns when Jesus will return again. So He told the disciples, and you and me, to be ready. How do you and I do that?

A number of years ago there were a series of billboards that appeared along highways across the county. There were a series of tongue-in-cheek quotes purported to be from God. One of the billboards had this slogan, “Don’t make me come down there. Signed, God.” In other words, if things get any worse, if people get any more evil, if we’re not careful, God’s going to have to come down here and straighten us out, that some folks are in for a lot of trouble. But what it didn't say is the Good News that God HAS come down.

So much of our holiday celebrations at this time of the year are wrapped around nostalgia. While bringing tremendous joy and satisfaction, all of this nostalgia may account for why Advent and Christmas are such fragile celebrations for many. For as much as we embrace all those things that are familiar, if any change takes place it can often bring feelings of wistfulness and melancholy. But God reminds us something that will never change.

What makes pottery so fascinating is the love a care that the potter puts into each step. He has to mix the clay and molds and shapes it. It has to go through the extreme temperature as it’s fired in the kiln. And then it is glazed to reveal a remarkable finish. Our heavenly Father uses our circumstances, those things that you and face each day, to sculpt and mold us.

As Christmas approaches, it’s not unusual for kids to misbehave. So, over the years there have been a number of folk tales and jingles that have been created to tamp down the naughty and reward the nice. However, it has the effect of viewing gifts as something to be deserved. God's gift is specifically for those who don't deserve it.

Yesterday the first candle was lit on the Advent wreathes in our churches. That doesn’t seem like much when you consider that the culture around us has poured itself fully into commercial bonanza and tinsel explosion of the holidays. So, why one little candle? Paul puts his finger on it here in 1 Corinthians.

The announcing of an inheritance is bittersweet at best. Yes, you are there to receive a bequest but, in order for this to take place, the benefactor who has set this gift aside for you has died. However, here's what makes the description that Jesus gives us of the last day so completely different. Having died and risen for us, He will be the one who announces the inheritance Himself!

In Matthew's Gospel Jesus describes, for us and for all who trust in the salvation He has accomplished for us on the cross, a place that we will never see or even visit.

In the weeks and days leading up to today’s celebration, the Center for Disease Control has issued important guidelines for Thanksgiving. And they’ve done a very good job of getting the message out. However, it’s worth knowing that the apostle Paul has also released a number of important and helpful guidelines for Thanksgiving. And he’s posted them here for us in Philippians.

Through faith, God makes sinners into His redeemed children. He makes goats into sheep! Of course, you and I could never effect this change in ourselves anymore than we can make a sheep into a goat – but God can and He has done it.

How would you feel if you new how long you could expect to live? Not surprisingly, most people shy away from wanting to know the answer. After all, who wants to find out when death is looming on the horizon? On the other hand, David expresses his desire quite clearly here in Psalm 39. Here's why.

"Firstfruits" is an usual term. It’s not one you hear very often. It’s used to describe the first agricultural produce of the season. Much more will follow. It's the word Paul uses to describe our Savior's resurrection and it points us forward to many more that will follow, including our own, on the glorious day of His return.

Folks can have different opinions on what they consider to be beautiful. What one person considers beautiful might appear ugly to someone else. It all depends on who is doing the looking. When you and I consider our sins it's hard to even look in the mirror. However, through faith, God sees you and me now in an entirely different way.

You and I live in a world which has been plunged into the spiritual darkness of sin. However, God Himself has announced the sunrise. With faith in our Savior, the apostle Paul announces in 1 Thessalonians, "For you are all children of light, children of the day."

It’s interesting how our imagination can produce two pictures that differ so widely. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that this is also true of what people think of God and how they imagine Him to be. However, you and I don't have guess. Thankfully, you and I don’t have to imagine what God is like or what He thinks of us.

Paul used an interesting analogy of the timing we can expect with Lord's coming. It's one that Jesus as well. It’s not meant to alarm us, but it is a handy reminder to be ready.

There’s a great urban myth that holds that if you're in a falling elevator, and if you do this at the very last moment right before it hits, you will simply land on your feet. Even though they didn’t have tall skyscrapers back in Zephaniah’s time, they must have had a similar urban legend floating around.

"Wrath" is a word that seldom shows up in conversation. Of course, it doesn’t help that on the few occasions that it does show up in our culture, it’s used in a way that seldom makes any sense. However, Scripture is precise when it uses this Word. And having a clear definition of God’s wrath is an important part of appreciating what our salvation is all about.

In Psalm 84, the psalmist admired the swallow’s choice of nesting place because He yearned to be as near to the presence of God as possible. However, instead of envying the sparrows He would have marveled at what God has given us in Christ!

If there is something to which you are looking forward, with eager anticipation, then chances are good that you may talk about it all the time. In the resurrection, God has given us an amazing hope that’s worth getting excited about. It’s something to which you and I can include as a familiar and regular part of the conversations we have with our family, friends and loved ones.

If you’re like me, whenever you hear the word “doorkeeper” a modern picture immediately to mind. I usually picture a doorman a regal hotel. However, it’s a very different position that the Psalmist describes in Psalm 84. He makes it sound pretty good! However, what God has given us through faith is so much more.

For those of you who have ever served in the military you know well the different bugle calls that are heard on base. In 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul describes that on the Last Day Jesus will return with "the trumpet call of God.” However, this trumpet call is unique in a number of different, and very important, ways

In Matthew, Jesus tells us a parable that's a like a Public Service Announcement to ensure that you and I are ready for the day of our Savior’s return.

# Standing as tall as eight feet, and weighing as much as 800 pounds, an adult male grizzly bear would be a terrifying animal to encounter in the forest. They have massive claws and they are swift. So, why on earth would the prophet Amos use this terrifying image to describe the day of the Lord? He says, “It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear.”

When you and I try to imagine how we will look on the day that Jesus appears the picture tends to be fuzzy and out of focus. But the picture that God has of you is not fuzzy at all. In fact, it’s crystal clear.

California’s Walk of Fame in Hollywood is a world-famous tourist attraction and it’s said to draw an estimated 10 million visitors each year. When you look down it's unlikely you will ever find your name there. On the other hand, as you follow our Savior in faith, sharing His love with joyful thanksgiving, you may want to look up.

Reading the labels, sorting garments, and using the right detergent is what it's all about when you want clean clothes with no stains. Knowing this, you can’t help but raise an eyebrow when you hear the laundry method needed for removing the stain of sin and its result.

In Revelation, God gave the apostle John a glimpse of what the family portrait will look like when we are all gathered before God’s throne in glory. What a picture! But there is something significant that sets it apart from all the rest. Can you guess what it is?

It’s hard to imagine what it will be like when there will be no more tears and no more crying. Right now our lives are filled with tears. However, since a life with “no more tears,” with God in glory, sounds too good to be true, the rumor continues to exist that there must be some way to anesthetize ourselves from life’s harsh realities and the inevitability of death. However, you and I have a Savior who has come and conquered the source of our tears.

We remember, and give thanks, for all of those, who have died in faith, and are now with the Lord. It’s understandable that we may shed a tear as we remember them. Even though the time is short, when we will see them again, it still hurts not to have them here with us as we await the day of the resurrection. However, if we’re not careful we may let those tears give way to despair – as if our Savior hadn’t come. ?God's Word reminds us of the comforting and certain hope that is ours in Christ.

One of the most popular hymns from the reformation is Martin Luther’s, “A Mighty Fortress.” The lyrics echo the security and comfort that is described for us here in Psalm 46. As you listen to the words of the Psalm this is not solitary solace. We stand side-by-side before our Savior, facing the same stress and struggles, with the same strength and support that comes from Him. With voices together united we sing, “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Halloween still sends shivers up the back of many people and fears of all those things that go bump in the night. But the popular image of the devil, that has become so popular from horror movies, bears little to do with reality. The apostle Paul gives us clear insight into how he does operate, how to recognize it, and how to rejoice confidently in our Savior's victory for you.

As we get closer to celebrating the Reformation on Saturday, we’ve been taking a at those three great Latin phrases which describe what we believe. We believe that we have been declared righteous before God by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), on the basis of Scripture alone (sola scriptura). However, there’s still one more that actually serves as the foundation for all of the rest. That phrase is Christ alone (Solus Christus). Here's the wonderful comfort that ties all the other three together.

Today, it’s become popular for folks to refer to ‘my truth,’ as if there’s a different truth out there for everyone. On the night Jesus was betrayed He prayed for His disciples, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.” We believe that sinners, like you and me, are declared righteous before God by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide). And we believe this on the basis of Scripture alone (sola scriptura).