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2002 PASTOR's NOTES [Return to Current Pastor's Notes] DECEMBER - An Advent MusingThey are out in the middle of the country, really the middle of nowhere. You come around a curve on this lonely, dark, country road and there they are. There are millions of them. They are sacred and secular, biblical and commercial, old and contemporary. They are the lights of Meadow. For many years now several people in that Johnson County community have created extraordinary Christmas scenes in their yards. They have to start in September to have them ready by Thanksgiving weekend. Thousands of people pass by every year to see them. Our family has made it an annual tradition. What an experience it really is. The Meadow lights demonstrate how Advent really is. Advent represents those dark days of watching and wondering. We know that the light of the world is coming but for now we are looking in the darkness hoping to see a flicker. Like the Meadow lights though, that light is just around the corner. Perhaps we may not see it yet but the light is there - illuminating the darkness of the human soul with the glorious light of God’s love. During these dark days of Advent remember that the light is coming – indeed has come into this dark world. And let these days of waiting be filled with the joy of anticipation. “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:4-5, 9 NRSV) November Days Cold gray skies, grass and plants turning brown, trees without leaves, days getting shorter, and holiday plans in the making are all signs of November days. There is something about November that seems almost melancholy, albeit a gentle melancholy as we pass through these days between fall and winter. Hawthorne called it, “the November of the soul.” It was a long time before I could see these things because November is the month of my birth, which makes November a happy time for me. But having grown older I understand why many people become depressed this time of year and why these dark cold days affect us so. But November needs to be reclaimed. November is the end of the Christian year. We celebrate Christ the King Sunday before we begin the season of Advent. This is no time to be melancholy - on the contrary these should be days of celebration. What better time to praise God than on these dark days? What better way to live out our faith than to proclaim the joy of God in the face of these days when the signs of life seem to be retreating. What better way to celebrate our faith than to believe that beneath the cold gray of November days there is a spring waiting to emerge? Don’t spend any time moping this November, instead rejoice and give praise to God that wherever his presence is felt new life continually bursts forth. I have often thought that it must have been a November kind of day when Isaiah the prophet wrote those words of hope; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me; to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, to provide for those who mourn, to give them a crown instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
OCTOBER October is that month that signals change for us. The warm mild days of late summer and early fall become cooler and shorter. We begin to pull out long sleeves and jackets. Our minds turn to Christmas, which we have not thought about since last December, and falling leaves remind us that winter is not far away. We live in an age of change. Scientists tell us that we double our information base about every 10 years. Fads and trends come and go with greater rapidity, and Hope Mills seems to change every month with all the construction that is going on. My mother was one who did not cope well with change. Her feet were solidly entrenched in the traditions of the past. She would never use an “ATM” card or a computer. My mother’s generation saw more change in the last twenty-five years than the previous fifty. It is no wonder then that her generation clung to those traditions that provided stability in the face of change. Even the church is changing. New members come into our family, new ministries are begun, and plans are underway to build a new sanctuary. But in the face of exciting and troubling change it is good to know that there is one thing that will never change and that is the love of God for us. As we are confronted daily with flux and change let us hold on to the constancy of God’s abiding love for us. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 SEPTEMBER Labor Day comes in September. The United States Congress established Labor Day as an official holiday in 1894 after 12 years of lobbying by the Knights of Labor. It was to celebrate the working class, which at the time was being swallowed up in the massive growth that accompanied the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th Century. It was only 35 years later that the economic boom of that era ended in the “Great Depression” Just as they tried to “fix” the problems of the working class in 1894 so today a lot of energy is being expended trying to find ways to “fix” our economy. Like the politicians and economists, we Christians keep trying to fix our problems as well. In our confused arrogance we think we know best the path that our feet should follow. But that is precisely our problem. As people of faith we need to rely on God’s compass (The Holy Spirit) to show us the way. It is however, unfortunate that we descendents of the “enlightenment,” who think we know everything, seem to have to learn our lessons the hard way. Whether we are making decisions for our Church or in our personal lives I don’t think that any of us have enough wisdom to make decisions on our own. I think we should borrow a page out of Israel’s collective wisdom. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge God and He will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6) AUGUST One year we escaped the “Dog Days” of August with a camping trip up to Cherokee. While the thermometer was hitting 100° in Hope Mills we enjoyed a cool 70° in a campground that was located in a valley with a spectacular vista of mountains in every direction. One day as I looked up at those mountains I was moved by the Psalmist’s words, “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven an earth.” (Psalm 121 NRSV) This August we would do well to pause in the busyness of late summer activity to consider where we are looking with our eyes. In one direction you can see the carnage left in the wake of bankruptcies, in another direction you can see the political hardball to get a lottery, and in another direction the ongoing fear of the next terrorist attack. I want to invite you this August to lift up your eyes unto the hills, to keep your eyes on the Lord God. We need not be frightened at the threatening drum beats of our world’s calamities, for we are in the care of a loving God. Our whole life is lived out within the parameters of his eternal vigilance. “The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more.” (Psalm 121 NIV) JULY Firecrackers, Parades, and the Stars and Stripes waving are all part of our celebration of Independence Day on July 4. On that day in 1776 the Colonies declared their freedom from the tyranny of monarchial rule with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A declaration is a clear emphatic statement that is sincerely held and believed by the individual or group making the declaration. While the Declaration of Independence is vitally important to all of us, freedom is such a precious thing; there is another Declaration I want to mention. It is the Declaration of Dependence. You see we are utterly dependent on the God who won our independence from sin and death. When Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave he won the victory that set us free. When we accept him as Lord and Savior we embrace a declaration of dependence. This is not a declaration of bondage; on the contrary, it is the realization that we have been liberated for joyful obedience. We are free to choose to accept and obey this God who loves us. The result being that we will want to tell the world what God has done for us. Why not make two Declarations this July. One of gratitude for all of those who have fought and died for our freedom and one in obedience to the one who died that we may live! “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation.” (Psalm 40:10 KJV) JUNE June marks the beginning of summer. Although the Summer Solstice is not till June 21, summer has already begun. Warm lazy days that stretch into long evenings mark the all- to-brief interval between spring and fall. Those long summer days are spent swimming, boating, golfing, and at ballparks. It is a time of so-called vacationing; those pilgrimages where we exhaust ourselves trying to rest. But all in all we look forward to summer because things do slow down. Even at church there is less activity. Parents Morning Out takes a break, the choirs take a break, and there are fewer events. However that does not mean that we should back off in our devotion to church. We still need to be in Worship and Sunday school continuing feed our souls. Another way to feed your souls is to do some good reading. There is a recommended reading list in this Newsletter. I hope that you will slow your lives down and enjoy these long summer days. But remember do not take a vacation from God. Just as God longs for you – you should long for God. “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2a MAY May is a month that is filled with the visible signs of the activity of life. Gardeners are actively caring for plants that are putting on their blooms in anticipation of the fruit to come. The sound of the lawn mower and weed-eaters are abounding as people mow and trim the actively growing grass. School children have grown restless, as the warm days have evoked a longing for summer vacation. I like May because it means grilling on the deck, good weather to fish, and of course taking walks. All of the activity around us reveals our longing for days like these to do the things we want to do. There is some divine activity going on as well. You see God is relentless in his pursuit of us. God wants you and me to be a part of his family. God wants us to have a relationship with Him so that we can really get to know him. After all the Psalmist tells us that God knows us inside and out, and that we cannot out run God (Psalm 139). It seems to me that only a God that loves us would bother to know all about us; and only a God that cares deeply about us would outrun us any place we might choose to go. How do you respond to a God like that? It seems to me that the Psalmist answers that question also. “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you O God.” (Psalm 42:1). April is a month of beauty. Azaleas, dogwoods, cherries, and many other plants and shrubs are blooming. The extraordinary grandeur of God’s creation is spread before us that we might to enjoy and celebrate it. We need to take time to really enjoy these gifts of God that “spring” forth in April. But flowers and shrubs aren’t the only things that need to be “springing” forth for us. Righteousness, which is really living obediently with God, and praise, which is really offering praise to God for all that God has done and is doing, are to be as beautifully visible in us as azaleas and dogwoods. God will cause it to spring forth from hearts and lives that are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, from hearts and lives that are open and obedient, and from hearts and lives that are faithful and committed. What would it mean if the church was landscaped with the most beautiful shrubs but inside there was only apathy and decay? There is a beauty inside of each of you that God wants to spring forth. Let the gardener have the fertile soil of an open heart and don’t be surprised at the blooms! “For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” (Isaiah 61:11). “March Gladness” It’s called “March Madness.” That is the favorite euphemism used by sports writers to refer to the “ACC” Basketball tournament and the NCAA tournament. Devoted sports fans, who cannot attend the games in person, crowd around televisions, keep a radio near the their desk, or use their computers to follow their favorite team. If you have never been to an ACC tournament game you do not know what excitement is. I want to coin a new term this year, “March Gladness.” March is exciting for other reasons besides basketball. During March we have A Faith Sharing Workshop, A Prayer Retreat, A Revival, Holy Thursday Service and of course our Easter celebration. All of these are opportunities for you to experience spiritual renewal in your lives, to revitalize your faith, and to receive the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (Remember that John learned at Patmos that a lukewarm faith nauseates God). If we will be as devoted to these things, as ACC fans are to their teams, then we will experience transformation and our faith will be fired up anew in March. Come and experience “March Gladness.” As Paul reminds us, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11 NIV) February Have you noticed how we create things that relate to the various celebrations of the year? Take Valentine’s Day for example; you can buy anything with hearts on it these days. Ties and socks, shirts and vests, even underwear comes with hearts on it. It is not because love is so popular but rather it is a fad of the day. But all those hearts are meaningless in the scheme of things. They won’t give you love or make you love others. The only way you can have real love in your heart is for it to be filled with the love of God. The love of God is not a sentimental feel good love; it is the expression of genuine compassion that comes from God’s own heart. God loves us so much that his own Son suffered and died for us. God wants his love to continue among us and therefore expects us to love the same way he does. “Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another,” is not a suggestion from Jesus but a challenge to share that love which was given to us. You cannot share it by wearing it or even just thinking it. You can put hearts on your underwear if you want to – but what you need is God’s love in your hearts. “ My children let us love not merely in theory or words—let us love in sincerity and in practice!” I John 3:18 (JB Phillips) I think what John means is, “Put your love where you mouth is!” January “In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1.1). There is something wonderful about beginnings. January represents a new beginning for all of us. It is a fresh new year filled with possibilities. Some of us will experience a first date, a wedding, a birth, a new home, starting college or beginning a new job in this New Year. The church experiences a new beginning as well. This year you have the chance to commit your life anew to God, to serve Him in new ways, to grow in faith and knowledge, to live out your faith with a new conviction and boldness. Our God is a God of new beginnings. He washes away our sins, our past mistakes, our bad decisions, our foolish indifference, and our feeble excuses. We have a chance to begin again in our lives. The slate is clean, the time unused, and the opportunities are endless. We have a new beginning and that is a precious gift, too precious to waste. You see our new beginnings come at a high price and it seems to me to be a terrible sin to waste one. And so as we begin this new year of 2002 I want to challenge you to take your new beginning and make it count for Christ and the church. Christ has given us a new beginning, one that is pristine, fresh, and beckoning us to claim it. What a wonderful gift a new beginning really is. What will you do with your new beginning? “Behold I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). |
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