What Did You Expect?

     Guess you didn't expect this!! What DID you expect when you saw the title?
     No, it's not going to be about Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson, or what he said. (However, I will briefly comment on this, but just to sort of get my point across and as a starting point for my topic.)
     What did you expect Phil Robertson to say about homosexuals and African-Americans? He is a Southern, Bible-Belt Christian who is also part redneck. 
       No, I am not condemning rednecks or saying that all Southern, Bible-Belt Christians are rednecks. What I am saying is, what did you expect?! Did you think he was going to say he approves of homosexuals? He's a Christian. (I won't go on about his other commentary as that one is just something I object to, but I understand how he thinks.) 
       Granted, he probably shouldn't have said some of the things he said. (I haven't read it or heard it, just so you know.) What I am saying is that you have to consider the source. It didn't surprise me that he got into as much trouble as he did. What I DIDN'T expect was the outpouring of support he got from all over! People may not have agreed with what he said, but they did agree that it was his right to speak his mind, no matter how, for lack of a better word, wrong he was. Who are we to judge what he said? I'm sure we're guilty of thinking or speaking of someone or group of people in a not so positive light. 
      I digress from my point. So...back to what I was saying about expectations. Matthew 11 talks about the unexpected. Matthew 11:3 we see John the Baptist in jail when he hears of what Jesus has been doing. He sends out a message asking if Jesus is the Savior that he heard of or should the people look for someone else. ".. Are you  the one who is to come, or shall we  look for another?” What did they expect a savior to look or act like? Surely it wasn't this person who looked like a peasant. 
      Jesus then went around preaching in the countryside. He spoke of John the Baptist. He asked the people who they thought this John the Baptist was. What were they expecting? "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man  dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet?" (Matthew 11:7-9) 
      It's all about our perceptions of things. Do we view things with a closed mind or heart? Do we judge by what we see? Do we expect certain things of people? Do you expect immediate results when you pray to God? What happens when things don't go as you expected?
      When you tell people you are a Christian, what kind of response do you expect to get? What do you think of when someone tells you they are a Christian? Do you expect they are these perfect human beings who walk and talk like Jesus? Or maybe you expect that they will sit there and tell you what a sinner you are, how you will burn in hell if you don't repent. 
       What did you expect to see happen when you were born again? When you gave your life to God? Did you think you'd be skipping along without a care in the world because now Jesus was going to take of things for you? Or maybe you figured you'd be happier or that your problems would just disappear. 
      Our expectations of things often will lead to disappointment. We are, after all, only human. We may be Christians, but we are first and foremost human. We make mistakes, we judge, we gossip. (Yes, yes I am well aware these are all sins.) However, as I have stated,we are human. I, for one, am glad that Jesus didn't take one look at me and figured I was too far gone to be forgiven. (I have some real doozies in my past!) But you know what? Jesus still loves me. He has forgiven me. And He will continue to cover me with His grace. No, my life is not as I expected. I still have a mound of problems. I still make mistakes. Sometimes I will even doubt that God knows that I exist.
        We are not perfect. Jesus knows we will mess up. What is perfect is the love of Jesus Christ! His forgiveness of us and our short comings is perfect. He died for us, He bore our sins for us. "It is done." Jesus' last words before He died. Yes, Lord, it is done. I am in awe of what You have done for me and my sins. I am humbled by it. Did I expect it? No. What else, though, could I expect from my Savior? 
      I'm going to draw on an old phrase. The next time you are in a situation or a place and it isn't at all what you expected, stop for just a moment and ask yourself this: What Would Jesus Do? 

**Thank you to my pastor, Andy Bashwinger & Compelled Christian Church, for allowing me to "borrow" his topic from this past Sunday's sermon. For more information on Compelled: Compelled Christian Church

A post from Christmas Eve (a little late)

**Note to readers: I've been without internet so this is a late post.**

12/24/13  10:40pm

As I sit here this Christmas Eve, I think about the incredible thing that Mary did. She trusted an angel who told her she was not only going to be impregnated but the Child she will carry is going to be the Savior of the World, and at a later point in His life He will be crucified for all of mankind's sins. Can you just imagine that? I’m a parent and I could never imagine knowing ahead of time that the child that I had borne was going to be crucified one day. 

I have been reading much and watching some shows about the history of the Bible, Christmas, and delving into my own bible and some other references so I can learn more. It’s been quite the learning experience and one I hope to continue. 

Here are some little known facts that I came across today.  Do you know that, in essence, Jesus was born homeless? Think about it. Joseph is summoned back to Bethlehem to be counted “At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. This was the first census taken when Quirinius* was governor of Syria. All returned to their own towns to register for this census.” (Luke 2:1-3)

When Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, there are so many people that they don’t have a place to sleep, so they are relegated to a stable next to a local inn. “And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born…. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.” (Luke 2:6,7). 

It doesn’t mention any further as to where Jesus lived, but from all the accounts we read Jesus never really stayed in one place. He was always going from village to village. Think of the homeless people you see these days. I’m sure that none of us has looked at anyone homeless and thought to ourselves “Can this be someone special?” I’m sure that the people back then probably thought the same thing until they found out who He was.

Interesting fact #2. Jesus was Jewish. Well, I can’t exactly go back and explain to you, my dear readers, the genealogy of Jesus. BUT, in Matthew 1:1-17 gives a pretty good lineage. Let’s just say that it starts with Abraham and ends with Jesus. 

Also, Joseph is the descendant of King David. Mark 1:9-11 speaks of Jesus’ baptism as a Christian. “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and He was baptized by John in the Jordan river. And when Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Him. And a voice came from heaven saying ‘You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with You.’” 

I happened to notice in Luke 2:7 where it mentions that Mary gave birth to her FIRST son. That got me scratching my head. I didn’t think Jesus had any brothers or sisters. So, I posed that question to a few people at church recently. The answer I got was this: James, who was one of Jesus’ disciples, was His brother. 

Most biblical scholars agree that Jesus’ birth wasn’t December 25. It became popular because it was already in pagan religious celebrations as the winter solstice, December 21. They felt those long, dark days could be lightened with feasts and decorations.

The church didn't really celebrate the birth of Jesus, Christmas, until between three and five centuries afterwards. In the passages surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, it mentions how shepherds are out in the field tending to their sheep. According to what I’ve learned, it gets pretty cold in Israel in December. The animals wouldn’t be out grazing in the fields in the dead of winter. Luke's account "suggests that Jesus may have been born in summer or early fall. Since December is cold and rainy in Judea, it is likely the shepherds would have sought shelter for their flocks at night" (http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-december-25-christmas-day) 

*The Census of Quirinius refers to the enrollment of the Roman provinces of Syria and Judaea for tax purpose, taken during the reign of Augustus (27 BCE – CE 14), when Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was appointed governor of Syria.

 Well, my dear readers, I hope this gave you something to think about. It's my little contribution to little known facts! I hope you will leave your comments on this. :)

11th Night of Advent Luke 1:39-45

I can't seem to get this together. I have prayed to Jesus asking Him to open my heart and my mind so that I may have a better understanding of what it is He is trying to say to me. 

This time our reading takes us to see Mary visiting Elizabeth. It's funny, really, that the passage we are reading now is one that I just read. We were at church last night and I asked my pastor how he learned to interpret what he is reading in the bible. I used last nights passage to start with and we discussed it. He gave me some very good ideas. As we were discussing it, I read ahead a little and made some notes. 

 In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”


So, here is what I learned from my pastor: First you ask basic questions: who, what, when, where, and why. Then you ask yourself "what is like me?", "what is unlike me?", "where am I in the story?", "what is different in translations?". He said that you should have 2 or 3 different translations available so you can compare them. Find keywords, think about the emotions. But most important of all, PRAY. Pray before you read, pray before doing your interpretation. Find out what God is trying to tell you.  

Mary has gone to Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth (we see the definition of what relation Elizabeth is to Mary in BibleGateway.com. Other versions say Elizabeth is Mary's sister, in others it just says she was a "relation".)

Elizabeth, who is married to Zechariah, is 6 months pregnant. BUT Elizabeth was beyond child bearing age and thought to be "barren". But here we have not 1 but 2 "immaculate" conceptions (I count Elizabeth as one since technically she was too old to become pregnant). These 2 women were chosen by God. Why they were chosen is not clear. It shows, however, what great faith in God these women had. Zechariah had been praying for years for a son, and here, after he thought there would never be a child, his wife was pregnant. 

Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist, who rejoices when in the presence of Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus. In turn, Jesus reacts the same in the presence of John the Baptist. This shows the connection of the two who will some day change the world. We see that Elizabeth is humbled in the presence of this woman and the savior she will give birth to. 

Week 2: Second Sunday of Advent

Tonight begins our second week of Advent. We light the second purple candle. We are another week closer to our joyous celebration of Christs' birth.


Prayer for the Advent Wreath
Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.
He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.
He is the Savior of us all.
O Lord, let your blessing come upon us as we light the first and second (purple) candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise of salvation.
May He come quickly and not delay.
We ask this in His holy name. Amen.
( https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/advent/6th.html)

We are still in the gospel of Luke, the continuing story of visitations from the Angel Gabriel. This reading sees Gabriel visiting Mary this time, and bringing her some astonishing, life changing news!!

Birth Announcement of Jesus the Messiah

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!   Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.
“And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God.” So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Introducing Mary. She was an unlikely girl from an unlikely town who was in the same measure extraordinary in her Godward focus and acceptance of God’s plan for her life. The angel, Gabriel, God’s messenger first to Elizabeth and now to Mary is observed bringing an announcement of another baby to be born, one who would not merely be a very great child (as John was prophesied to be) but one who would come as “Son of the Most High” who would “reign over the house of Jacob forever.” Having received such a message, Mary showed herself to be one who thought through such startling news in both a theological and humble manner. She would, like us, be challenged to experience in a deeper way the reality that nothing is impossible with God. In discovering this God of the impossible, we find the following applications from this text: First, this is not a story about Mary. Next, this story is not about the arrival of a precious baby but the arrival of its king. Finally, we see that our response should not be, “oh, so cute,” but, “I want to be a part of this kingdom!”
Summary by Seth Kempf, Bethany Community Church Staff

 

Sixth Night of Advent

Tonights' reading is from Luke 1:11-17. It is the continuation of the story that we started last night. Tonight an angel appears to Zechariah to tell him that his wife Elizabeth, whom they believed to be barren, will bear a child. 

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Fifth Night of Advent

Tonight's reading comes from the Gospel of Luke 1:5-10 (ESV). We are five nights into Advent. We take this time to reflect upon what we are reading and what it's meaning is. 

Some times it's not that easy to figure out what we are reading. After doing a little research, it seems that these 5 verses we are reading tonight is only half of a story. Verses 5 through 24 tells about the promise of the birth of John the Baptist.
  
      In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.Here is a great break down of what this reading is telling us.
Luke 1:5-10