As we look at the new fallen snow this first few minutes of 2022 in the love, grace, and peace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, my brothers and sisters in Christ pray dear Father for Your Good News to reach the lost sheep of every nation, people, tribe and tongue in this world. Happy New Year! To You our God and Father. Amen.
Your children on Earth by the grace of Christ Jesus
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:20-21
2021 ends in yet another disaster and one not far away from us in this little corner of Colorado. Our love is called upon and our faith tested once more. Hundreds of people lost their homes yesterday as the front winds of a winter storm brought a fast-moving fire to southwest Boulder County. About the time they have the fires under control, all may be covered in snow tonight...and cold. Prayers for mercy, comfort, and restoration are needed from those of faith in our Lord Jesus. None of us of course wanted to end this year on such a note as this.
Jude said to keep yourselves in the love of God. Some of the comments I've read online this morning certainly remind me of why Jude would need to say this. Let us pray in love for those who have suffered loss this year.
In Christ our Savior,
BuckyAnd you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest. Leviticus 25:22
As 2021 begins to slink away into history, we might just feel as though we are enduring the old produce from 2020. Much of the news seemed similar with slightly different names. We had Mr. Delta and then Ms. Omicron, but both of them still brought that COVID thing to us. More lockdowns came to some places and more violence to others. We expect some stumbling from a new president, but this one appears to have reversed a surging economy and brought in inflation at the same time. We might just look around and see that we are in a sort of ninth year where we are partaking of the old produce until a new harvest comes in. And then to vax or not to vax, that is the question. Sorry, Will! Yes, another year is going away, but sheesh!
If things continue downhill toward complete lawlessness in 2022, then we know that our Lord returns soon!
Rejoice in the Christ!
BuckyThen He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:51-52
There is this passage in Luke when Jesus was twelve and it can be a stumbling stone even for us. We might even wonder why they didn't turn around and place the young scholar in the hands of the priesthood for His training. And then there is this bit about our Lord Jesus increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. It all comes down to: Why did the Lord Jesus need to grow up?
The answer likely has something to do with our benefit. It shows us something about Him or about our condition. We can learn too that timing was important, and His time had not yet come as He would say later in His life. Also, we might easily protest the unfairness if the Lord got to skip over those years that caused many of us such difficulty. Strange though it may seem to us as we admire the perfection of our Lord Jesus, part of His mission was in growing up and into His lordship. How remarkable!
Truly we are still working to understand the wonder of our Lord Jesus,
BuckySo when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” Luke 2:48
And that, my friends, was the last mention of Joseph, our Lord's earthly and adoptive father. You might say that Joseph was part of the 'them' in v51 of course, but by his name or position as father, this was it for that man of many angel dreams, dear Joseph. The man who believed the angel messengers is gone from our Lord's story with no explanation or incident on record. At some point between our Lord's twelfth year and His baptism by John, Joseph left the story. And we wonder down through the years, where did Joseph go? John the Baptist said that he must become less and less, but Joseph simply vanishes. As with all of those who we cannot place our earthly hands upon right now, we have faith that our Lord has gathered them unto Himself.
Let us journey on to meet our Lord Jesus soon,
BuckyAnd suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
-- Luke 2:13-14
The dawn comes on Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas to you on this day before the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus.
A dark night in the fields of Judea near Bethlehem, an angel had appeared suddenly before the shepherds with glad tidings of great joy, the Son of God was born! The glory of the Lord had shone around them and fear had overwhelmed their senses. Then, a multitude of the heavenly host appears! The awesomeness from God ending the drought of the word the shepherds had lived through for generations.
Truly we live in a similar time, having endured in our families the centuries since our Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and waiting for His return. Just as suddenly this period will end for us. The shepherds had zero warning that their night would be any different from the multitude of nights before that one. Yet it was. Live for the day.
Merry Christmas Eve to you!
BuckyNow there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8
When writing each year about the story of Christ's birth, it seems so easy to stomp on what another has already done, even myself as I study and write down notes for next week's Bible study. As this event took place more than 2,000 years ago, I am not likely to come up with anything another writer or minister has not pondered before. So, the word today is...stomp away! And here we have that classic peaceful, pastoral setting of shepherds abiding in the fields at night keeping watch over their flocks of sheep. As the song goes, all is calm, all is bright, you are about to feel a terrible fright! What? You've never heard the horror movie version of Silent Night? The shepherds were us, now, waiting for the return of Jesus. The appearance when least expected of the angel of the Lord happens in just the way Jesus told us to be ready for His sudden, instant, and even immediate return. All will be calm, all will be as usual, and then it happens. We will not have time to be frightened though, we'll leave that to those left behind. May they get over the shock and come swiftly to believe in Jesus our Lord!
Have a beautiful Christmas celebration in honor of our Lord Jesus!
BuckyThen an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Luke 1:11
The understated way of the Bible is often a delight to my eye. This was not a common occurrence in the priest's day as he did not expect when his lot was drawn to be facing a messenger of the Lord. His reaction was one of fear, because well...yeah, that is the usual when an angel appears. Beside the altar was a place no one should be, startle reaction. But then Zacharias could tell this was not a stray priest or curious traveler right away, fear of the uncanny. And then comes that famous first line, "Do not be afraid." To which Zach may have thought, as we might in his place, "Too late, already got there!" This visit from Gabriel was not exactly an isolated incident at this time though. A period of intense angelic activity seems to have kicked off here with Gabriel also visiting Mary, an angel appearing to Joseph in a dream, and then the angel and a multitude of the heavenly host appearing to some rather frightened shepherds out in a field near Bethlehem. This sudden increase in visible visitations was of course part of that great event, the birth of our Lord Jesus.
Peace and joy from God our Father to you this Christmas!
Bucky“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23
From our biology classes and parental instruction way back in the day we learned how human conception works. So also did the ancients know from teachers and parents that there was this enjoyable hobby that brought about babies. And then one day God said through Isaiah, quoted here in Matthew, that He would do it another way. When the time came, Mary heard it again from Gabriel, and she too had a bit of trouble understanding it. God told us it was coming and Gabriel announced to Mary that the time had come. Our only explanation is that the Holy Spirit would take care of it. Praise God!
And so it goes with our salvation. We cannot explain it, but we know the Holy Spirit will take care of all the changes needed in the heart of the sinner. Jesus paid the price, the Spirit of God works the magic in us, and we are saved! Get ready, here it comes!
Have a blessed Christmas in Jesus our Lord,
BuckyAnd it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Luke 2:1-3
We just had a census last year, or sort of last year; there were some delays it seems. However, one thing we did not have to do was travel to our family's hometown or region to be registered. Each year this bit of Luke reminds us that God does at times work through things we might not want to do. Joseph and Mary may not have wanted to take an extended trip to Bethlehem at this time. All those folks filling up the inn at Bethlehem may not have been too pleased to have uprooted their normal lives either. Sometimes though, we forget that Mary and Joseph did know who they carried with them, they probably knew from the scriptures quite well that He needed to be born in Bethlehem, and all that census hubbub just made it that much more difficult. However, all that Caesar, the governor, and everyone else did was bring Jesus our Lord right to the place He would be born, at just the right time, and in a way that was perfectly humble. Whether those young parents of our Lord were already on the way to Bethlehem or had to do something they would rather not, God's will was done!
One week to the Eve of Christmas! Have a wonderful weekend in Christ the Lord!
BuckyAnd she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
When we think on God's perfect ways and come to the story of His Son's birth, we might see what we think are imperfections. No reservation at the inn for our Lord's birth? A feed bunk for animals as a cradle? However, for all those who have endured that question, "Were you born in a barn?" Jesus is our hero. We do not believe ourselves worthy of that honor, as our Lord was, having been born in hospitals, houses, and other less honorable places. Our Lord's birth less than perfect? Say not so! It is rather our definition of what is perfect that needs perfecting. And may our Lord Jesus work in us to fix that!
Have a wonderful Christmas season!
BuckyFor unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -- Isaiah 9:6
Yesterday some old feller thought that some big day was coming next week and I had the pleasure of gently reminding him of a holiday we know as Christmas. As the 25th is on a Saturday this year, it may seem kind of a 'long before', but it is next week. However, when Isaiah wrote down the prophecy from the Lord about a Child to be born, it was not a next week thing but a hundreds of years down the calendar sort of thing. You probably do not have a calendar sitting in a drawer for oh, 2535 AD? 2600 AD? Not even published yet, you say? Should the appointed date for our Lord's return be that far out, you and I will likely not be alive on this earth at that time. While one or two might ask why the BC numbers counting down each year toward zero didn't give them an idea that something was coming, we think that the whole BC to AD thing was invented sometime after the big event in Bethlehem.
So, to us the birth of Jesus seems so long ago, but Isaiah wrote the prophecy long before that, and then we learn that God knew that His Way was the only way to save us long before even Isaiah's time and our little mind gets lost in the long ago-long before-eternal past sort of thing, and we stop and say,
Merry Christmas!
BuckyBehold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 1 Corinthians 15:51
We shall all be changed... Before this pandemic thing that began almost 2 years ago, this might have been just a skoosh harder to believe. Now we can see that even in this world all of us have been moved a little or a lot in various directions. Our faith may be stronger or there may be doubts in some. How much trust we put in governments may be changed from what it was at Christmas time in 2019; an innocent time just before the news reports of a new virus began popping up in the media. Over the past couple of years, you may have found out things about friends and relatives that you did not know before this thing moved across the world. Therefore, it is not at all difficult to believe now that God shall change us all when this time comes that Paul writes of back in his day.
The good news of this great change is that our Lord Jesus is on it! So, no worries my brothers and sisters in Christ!
BuckyAnd He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Most of us in reading this verse from Paul to the Corinthian church note that we have much to offer our Lord in making perfect His strength! Excellent, we must be right where He wants us!
Have a beautiful day in Christ our Lord!
BuckyDo you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24
We have to win a race to get the prize? Well that leaves me out. I guess opposite week continues as I have never been complimented on my racing speed on foot. When it came time to think about career choices, NFL wide receiver was not on my list. In fact, I think the guidance counselor crossed out anything involving running before she gave me the form. This verse always reminds me that our Lord Jesus does not choose in the way that we picked teams back in the day. Those who believe in Jesus may or may not include the swiftest of feet, strongest of body, fattest of wealth, or prettiest of face. On our Lord's team we may find those of us who are a little below average in some respects. In this race we are also making sure that our brothers and sisters in Christ are finishing too. We invite others to join the race and are not worried over whether they are fast or slow. It is the Lord's race to win and we believe in Him!
Have a good race in the Lord!
Bucky
O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
-- Psalm 69:5
Talk about a weak offering! This week seems to be an opposite title sort of week thus far. The verse from the psalm says it best for most of us. Sin and foolishness showed strongly in life before we gave it to our Lord Jesus. Much of the wisdom we had in those days came from hard lessons experienced, often of the won't-do-that-again variety that is more like self-preservation. While we may still have some leanings toward foolishness (Yes, and sin as well.), we can ask the Lord for wisdom and rejoice in His generous giving.
Thank You, dear Lord, for wisdom in this life in Christ!
BuckyThe Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:19
Preacher and prophet are mentioned in the Bible at least a couple of times as jobs we might have in our service to the Lord, but director of music occurs 54 times too. All of these are in the Psalms plus a 55th in little Habakkuk. No one, that I can recall in my lifetime, has asked me to be their director of music. Other than that I have no music education or experience beyond high school, and even that involved no practice on my part, I just cannot understand why they would leave me out. Hmm, yes, there might be that little problem with Christmas music. While even the grinchiest might allow one Christmas carol into the church program about this time of the year, I on the other hand feel that even a moderately cool day in August is cause enough to bring out the Christmas tunes. And I have done this many times! So, for those of us excluded from high position over our affection for Christmas music, we say with the prophet:
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
If ever I had cause to doubt scripture comes the next bit: That would be one clumsy deer and I'm terrified of heights. Of course much of scripture requires faith of us and speaks to a time yet to come. One day, we will leap on the heights together as surefooted as the deer... and sing our Christmas carols to the Lord!
Merry Christmas!
BuckyThen Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 1:41
The question was: If You are willing, You can make me clean. Often we have a similar attitude as though there is something that would make our Lord Jesus unwilling to cleanse us from that thing that makes us outcast. Yes, I am thinking of the end times, even the end of the Bible where those cast out are in the outer darkness. It doesn't get more outcast than that! And those choices that place them out there are the things that Jesus is willing to cleanse us from by His atoning sacrifice. And, no, you and I do not have time to cleanse ourselves from this unrighteousness. Like ol' grain bin guy in Luke 12, our soul may well be required of us this night. The parable warned those trying to save themselves that Jesus our Savior is the only answer to our sinful condition. The question of our Lord's willingness was fully answered at the cross. The question now is whether we are willing to come to Him and let Him cleanse us of sin and anything else that grieves us this day.
Have no doubt; He is willing, be cleansed!
BuckyBehold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16
This is one from our Lord that almost seems wrong to us. Be wise as serpents? How much wisdom is in a snake? As a critter prone to being stomped on by huge beasts, maybe more than one might think at first. And how about those doves? It may seem easier to us to understand their innocence, but do we? Again, maybe more than we think. If the body of a dead squirrel lies in the local park this morning, people will likely not level any accusations against the local dove gang. They are likely innocent to our knowledge without us calling in Sherlock Holmes. And then there is the whole sheep and wolves thing. Wouldn't the message spread faster by sending the wolves out to preach to the herds of sheep? Sheep are after all a bit wayward and according to those who have worked with them, quite the dumb animal. So, likened to sheep, snakes, and doves, we are sent out among wolves? Help! Which is what our Lord would have us to do, I'm sure. Call upon Him every step of the way in our journey.
Walking with the Lord this day,
BuckyI am one mocked by his friends,
Who called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
-- Job 12:4
Some things are not shared with me, and my prayers are therefore somewhat vague as I trust in God to know what the issues are in that relationship. As a prayer bystander I have no information to act upon, and yet I am mocked by many for not doing something to solve the problem. Other times I may know more about the problem, but be distant and unable to physically solve anything. Once again, I am a prayer bystander and mocked by some. There are the problems of a financial nature that are too big for me alone, and so I enter into prayer with the Lord as a bystander. Our government has become so large as to be a force for change or to prevent change in the world, and my vote seems so miniscule in the election, but my prayer is heard by God.
Yes, those who would look down on the prayer bystander do not know or believe in the One to whom I pray. For those of us who believe in our Lord, prayer is the action we love to perform and prayer is action. For those who refuse to believe, prayer is easy to mock. I believe in Jesus the Christ and in the power of God in response to prayer. I am that weak prayer bystander, but the Lord is the Almighty who hears my prayer!
Bucky