Responsibility grows naturally out of the first three. If a home is filled with love, with mutual confidence and trust, and has had the guidance and correction necessary to develop self-discipline, the natural result is recognition of responsibility. Each member of the family feels a responsibility to the others, a responsibility to merit confidence and truth, a responsibility to keep one's promises, to carry out duties and assignments. As this sense of responsibility becomes a habit, it carries over to those outside the family, to employers, associates, and friends.

When the members of a family have little or no confidence in each other, when they can seldom depend on their doing what they are supposed to do, you have the making of inevitable unhappiness and tragedy. But when the members of a family have full confidence in each other, and when through self-discipline they have formed the habit of responsibility, you have the sure foundation, not only of a happy family, but of successful lives.

Self-discipline is acquired only gradually and sometimes painfully through external discipline. A generation ago we entered the age of permissiveness, when children were allowed to make their own decisions, do their own thing. Today psychiatrists are almost universally agreed that instead of making children happier, this permissiveness has been a tragedy for both children and parents. It has led to drinking, drug abuse, crime, broken homes, and an alarming increase in teen-age suicides. Until children reach enough maturity in judgement and character to administer self-discipline, they must be guided by their parents. In Ephesians 6:1-3, the Apostle Paul says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother (which is the first commandment with promise) that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth". Obedience implies definite restrictions. Parents must emphasize with children that some things are right and some things are wrong, and must see that their children observe the limitations. But when instruction fails and discipline seems necessary, it must never be done through frustration or anger, but always with love. The apostle says in Ephesians 6:4, that -fathers are not to provoke their children to wrath, but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord. If this is done right, children actually love and respect their parents more, for they realize their parents love them enough to worry over and correct them. As the writer of Hebrews says in Chapter 12:9, “Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence" Thus, chastening one in the right way may for the moment seem "grievous", yet the writer says it "yields peaceable fruit to them that have been exercised" by it (Chapter 12, verse 11).

Faith, in all its aspects trust, confidence, and reliance brings happiness. If a home is to be happy parents must conduct themselves in such a way that they can have implicit faith in each other and inspire such faith also in their children.

The basis of such mutual trust, however, is a faith in God and in all the attributes we associate with Him truth, integrity, fairness, compassion, mercy.

If parents by their lives show their loyalty to God and his nature, they instinctively win the confidence of their children, and children likewise hold the confidence of their  parents. They believe in one another.

The first and most important of these is LOVE.

Ideally it is an unselfish love that brings a man and woman together to form a home, and ideally, it is love which increases that happiness of the home with children. The love which binds a family together is partly an impulse of nature, but in the Christian home, it is far more unselfish than a mere natural impulse. In Ephesians 5:25-31, the Apostle Paul says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the  washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself: for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church; … For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.” This kind of love would lead a man to sacrifice his own pleasures, even his life, to assure the happiness and welfare of his wife. And who can doubt that the same unselfish love which a man should have for his wife, the wife should also have for her husband, and the parents should have for their children.

Unfortunately, however, love can wither and die. To keep it alive and warm requires close association, attention and care. When parents both work and have little time for their children, they become in a measure strangers to them. By nature, children love their parents and long for their parent's love in return. Two teenagers, whose parents after work and the evening meal usually sat glued to the television till bed time, have testified that they felt so frustrated and bitter that they even wanted to put a bomb under the TV; yet they could not tell their parents how they felt. Warm personal love which expresses itself in affectionate association, care, and attention prevents such estrangement's and bitterness, and is the single greatest source of happiness in the home. No amount of money, fast cars, gifts, and gadgets can substitute for it.

Turning to Facebook, I was thankful to learn that a couple of missionaries from Ontario who worked directly in Sendai were safe and that many other missionaries and brothers and sisters in Jesus were also declared safe. However, days later, the news sources began to share the more personal stories of those who had suffered major loss of property and/or life. The TV testimonies attached faces to the devastation that I had witnessed just days before and emphasized a startling point: these people have lost everything. In far too many cases, it’s a modern-day version of the circumstances that befell Job.

A couple of verses have since surfaced in my mind: Romans 12:15b, and I Corinthians 12:26 which say, “...mourn with those who mourn,” and “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” But how do we mourn with those on the other side of the world, particularly with our family in Jesus? In two ways I believe: (1) Pray. Acknowledging their loss and pain before God and continually asking him to intervene in ways that we cannot is a powerful way of saying “we are with you.” (2) Give. As I mentioned, the contrast is startling: some people are left with only the clothes on their back. Everything else is literally gone. Giving now may prove to be an appropriate challenge to our recent commitment to better stewardship. It may hurt, but perhaps that’s the point: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” We can then return to God and ask his blessing upon the giver, the gift and the recipient.

“Men will be selfish, covetous, exclusively concerned with themselves, their wealth, their success, and their pretentions. They will also be arrogant, jealous, envious, blasphemers, and gossipers. They will not know how to respect their parents, and lose any sense of thanksgiving, pity, and compassion. Heartless, and without faith, they will be unmatched in their hatred, perjurers and slanderous, unable to discipline themselves, and, without restraint, they will throw themselves into lust and debauchery. Cruel, disrespectful, brutish, they will do all things without pity. They will be unconcerned with moral values, they will hate the ones who do good, and will be ready for treason and all kinds of shameless acts.

“Risky and frivolous, full of themselves, full of pride that makes them impervious to blame, they will love the world more than God. Sensual pleasures and indulgences will fill up their soul and take the place of the God.

“Naturally, they will stick to the external traditions of their religion. To save face, they will keep an appearance of piety, but in reality, they will deny its power; they will not allow it to have any true influence on their lives. Additionally, their actions will become their profession of faith.” (2 Tim. 3:2-5)

If we are not yet at that point of degeneration, it certainly appears that we are going in that direction.

To make my case, please consider the following.

God designed human beings in His image. As we mature in Jesus Christ, we begin to discover that service is an inherent characteristic in God’s image (which may even be bound up in the much grander facet of love).

Marriages, parenting, and employment are relationships or roles where, if they are to function properly, we must serve. The same goes for the church: to function properly, we must serve, lest we become a consumer-oriented enterprise, which is not a concept for the church that surfaces in the Bible. In other words, God has designed us so that our full potential is not realized until we discover that we are servants, called to meet the needs of others, not of ourselves.

Thus, this morning we ask you to prayerfully consider your God-given gifts, and your role as a servant. On the heels of last week’s sermon, it is something that I must also continue to pray about for myself. We look forward to seeing both where you can be plugged in, and the joy that comes with service.

*As an aside, I am aware that a number have taken up roles of service in the past year, both during Sunday morning and throughout the week. You know who you are, and I want you to know that your contributions have not gone unnoticed. Thank you!

Why won’t poverty ever go away? One reason is that a large portion of the population would never consider being that charitable, for it would mean relinquishing some comforts, which – let’s face it – is definitely not easy. On the other hand, for those who would show an active concern for the poor, it’s not only a matter of obedience, but it’s also formative. It helps us to both (1) learn stewardship, rather than ownership, and (2) become more like God, as one who gives good gifts to everybody (Matt. 5:45). We can easily become “hardhearted and tightfisted toward” the poor (Deut. 15:7), especially since investing resources into poor people can be unpleasant. But, remember: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), meaning that (perhaps, to put it mildly) it was quite unpleasant for God to get involved with us; but, in love, he still gave.

Offer a prayer with me that God would shape us by softening our hearts and opening our arms in generous response to the poor. It may hurt, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

From “Scrooge Lives!” in Christianity Today, Rob Moll, December 5th, 2008:

“Households of committed Christians making less than $12,500 per year give away roughly 7 percent of their income, a figure no other income bracket beats until incomes rise above $90,000 (they give away 8.8 percent).”

“The median annual giving for an American Christian is actually $200, just over half a percent of after-tax income.”

“More than one out of four American Protestants give away no money at all – ‘not even a token $5 per year.’”

“... in absolute terms, the poorest Christians give away more dollars than all but the wealthiest Christians. We see the pattern in recent history as well: When Americans earned less money following the Great Depression, they gave more. When income went up, they began to give less of it away.”

Finally, consider these words on Christian giving:

“A man’s pocketbook is the last piece of him to be converted.” – Martin Luther

“It’s what you sow that multiplies, not what you keep in the barn.” – Adrian Rogers

“Nothing that you have not given away will ever really be yours.” – C. S. Lewis

May God shape us more into the likeness of Jesus that we may become people who give and love more deeply. May you be blessed in your giving!

1. That Jesus was crucified and died, and
2. That Jesus appeared to his disciples and to Paul after his death.

William Lane Craig argues that there are 5 supporting details to these above facts:

(A) The gospels and the writings of Paul constitute early, independent, multiple attestations (a highly prized thing in historical studies) to the resurrection event;

(B) That Jesus was buried by a member of the very council that sentenced him to death would not likely have been made up by the Christians;

(C) That women – who were not given much credibility in ancient Jewish history – are the first ones to report of the empty tomb (an embarrassing fact for the disciples);

(D) The rapid change in disposition of the disciples is best accounted for by the fact that they saw a risen Jesus; otherwise they were not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead;

(E) The earliest Jewish argument against the resurrection (Matt. 28:23) is an attempt to explain the empty tomb (“The disciples stole the body”) – even they couldn’t deny it!

While the non-believing community will attempt to argue that the resurrection story is subject to myth, hallucinations, or unreliable historical documents (the gospels), their explanations are often too longwinded and fall short. The explanation that God raised Jesus from the dead satisfies all of the necessary criteria.

Brothers and sisters: Jesus is alive. It’s a fact.

This morning, I am thinking about Captain Hook's relationship with the infamous crocodile. The crocodile had swallowed an alarm clock, so Captain Hook could always sense when an enemy he feared was near. I think it’s always funny to watch Captain Hook's reaction to the incessant sound of    the    alarm    clock:    "Tick-tock,    tick-tock..."

I must admit that as an adult, the clicking of the clock is getting louder in my    ears.
Time is not my enemy, but I am more aware that time is passing quickly. By the time you read this article, almost ten percent (10%) of 2011 will be history. Were we not just enjoying the holidays?

We are all closer to eternity than we have ever been.

So... how will I manage myself with respect to time? Will I devote my attention to what is most important? Have I taken the time recently to evaluate the values that govern my life? Does my schedule and daily "To Do" list represent that my values are truly the foundation for my life? Are godliness and contentment the bases for my values?
As I listen to the clock tick, I have some important questions to answer. How about you?

However, at one point or another, a worldview must answer 4 critical questions:

1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. What’s the problem with the world?
4. What’s the solution for the world?

Most worldviews can produce an answer for the first two questions that will satisfy most people. However, when it comes to the last two questions, most worldviews lack sufficient answers. Yet, those who have a Christian worldview have a peculiar peace in their understandingaboutthosequestions. Infact,thatpeacecomesfroma confidence in the answers, when most people are still asking the questions. Christians know that sin is the problem, and that Jesus is the answer. While those are simplified answers which have much more depth and explanation behind them, they are nevertheless the keys to both understanding the problems in this world, and overcoming them.

While the world may try to tell us differently, the Christian worldview solidly answers those 4 questions. In fact, the Christian worldview explains everything we need to know.

When we experience incidents like these, we may sometimes try to draw a specific meaning out of what has happened – perhaps even more so when absurdities appear (like my lack of bodily injury). However, the meanings we may derive may be rather subjective. Yet, these incidents and their consequences still provide us with an opportunity to draw ever closer to God in faith and  trust. The absurd elements in similar events may very well be evidence of God’s hand: thus, for my safety in the accident, I thank God. Yet, what seemed like a financially harmful situation  afforded me an opportunity to trust God to provide for me – and that is exactly what God has done for me over the past few weeks (and quite abundantly!).

How we respond to God in these events will show just how much we actually believe that he is involved in our lives. Indeed, we can learn from Job, who suffered greatly, but was still able to  proclaim:

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” – Job 1:21.

If indeed the two men with whom Jesus was crucified were rebels, Jesus was perhaps in more similar company than is often made out when we compare the differences between Jesus and the robbers. Jewish rebels were intent on having the Davidic kingdom of Israel reestablished in its “rightful place,” both territorially and politically. In short, these men were Jewish nationalists and patriots. At the same time, Jesus came with the intent of establishing a kingdom, too – the kingdom of God. Indeed, at the crucifixion Pilate labelled Jesus “The King of the Jews.” How fitting, then, that one of the rebels would eventually say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” and that he would receive the very thing that he was looking for, yet in a very different way.

In a sense, the kingdom of God is full of rebels, but Jesus’ death makes one thing very clear: the kingdom is not taken by force. It is given to us.

First and foremost, spiritual apathy is a choice. In part, it denies (consciously or not) that God is actively involved in our lives. It admits that nothing much will change – despite the presence of the powerful Spirit within us – and that, in the current state of things, there’s nothing much to get excited about. Spiritual apathy takes things for granted – even the gift of life – and says, “Why bother?” Why bother worshiping? Why bother praying or reading God’s word? Why bother having fellowship or giving?

Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is also a choice, but it looks at the big picture and says, “Hey, I’m alive – it’s worth the effort!” Gratitude opposes spiritual apathy. It recognizes that God is actively involved in our lives and helps us realize that, whatever the situation, we’ve never been so blessed. Whether it’s food, friends, family, health (whether good or bad), transportation, shelter, clothing, money (whether a little or a lot), bedsheets, microwave, your morning cup of coffee, a laugh, a cry, seeing someone you know on the street – gratitude takes notice of it.

Spiritual apathy can be cured, but only as much as the cure is wanted. However, when the want is there, an unlimited dose of gratitude will work wonders.

Think of a positive interaction that you have had with someone else in the congregation in the past. It may have been a short moment – a laugh, a hug and a smile, a reunion – or it may have been a more prolonged interaction – a conversation over coffee, a shoulder to cry on, a Bible study. Whatever it was, I would like for you to share your thanksgiving for that interaction with two persons: (1) the one(s) you shared it with, and (2) God. I will set some additional goals, as well: (1) Try to do this within the next two weeks, (2) try to practice this with more than one person, and (3) try to practice this with someone you may not normally interact with.

Whether you have been a part of this family for 6 months or 16 years, you are part of this congregation’s history. The body of Christ needs people to function, and you have contributed to the 25 years of life of this congregation – and so have your brothers and sisters sitting around you. Thank them and thank God that you have had the blessing of interacting with each other, of sharing in the blessings of Jesus Christ our Lord, and pray that we may be able to do so for many, many years to come.

The 10 commandments of bad parenting

1. From an early age, give your child everything he wants. He will grow up thinking that the world owes him everything.
2. If he is crude and impolite, laugh. He will think himself quite clever.
3. Don’t tell her something is wrong, this could produce a guilty conscience. Later on, when arrested for a crime, she’ll think society is persecuting her.
4. Pick up after your children. In this way, they’ll never take on any responsibility.
5. Let them read anything they want. Sterilize their dishes but let them feed their minds on trash.
6. Always argue in front of your children. When your marriage fails, they won’t be surprised.
7. Give your children money they haven’t earned. They’ll end up with the same money problems as you have.
8. Make sure all their desires are satisfied: food, drink, comfort, so that they’ll never experience denial or want.
9. Always defend them against neighbors, teachers, and police...
10. And when they grow up to be worthless, quickly admit that you could not have avoided it.

Unfortunately, sainthood in Catholicism is a perversion of the reality that is in Christ. Biblically, the process for sainthood really takes no longer than it does to be united with Christ in baptism. Also, the word “saint” in the New Testament is synonymous with a word like “believer,” so there is no indication that sainthood is an elevated status within the Christian faith as it is in Catholicism. Additionally, Catholic canonization “titles” certain individuals by virtue of merit – that is, sainthood is largely earned. However, Biblically, sainthood is bestowed upon those who believe in Jesus Christ, which is truly an admission that we can do nothing to earn our holiness. While God both bestows holiness and calls us to be holy, it is entirely through the work of Christ that we are able to attain any state of holiness.

All of us who believe are saints – but only because we have one to believe in: Jesus Christ. All glory, honour, praise and celebration belongs to him!

However, on race day, we both agreed that, while we would start out running together, if at any point either of us had the energy to run ahead, we could part ways and run at our own individual paces. Well, that happened, and as we both discovered, things were much more difficult. There were hills, mud, and no conversation! Although I wanted to stop and walk, I wanted more to be able to say I ran the entire race without stopping. So, with many utterances of “Lord, don’t let me stop!” and even a 100m sprint to the finish, I can honestly say I ran the entire race, only a minute off our pace in training. (Hal was only 2 seconds off!)

Paul, in 2 Timothy, was nearing the end of his race – his life. Many of his close companions had deserted him, and he was truly in death’s grip. However, rather than relaxing, he continued to fight for the gospel by preaching, teaching and praying – he kept running until he crossed the finish line.

Our finish line is when we can see Jesus face-to-face. Before that, we’ll have our hills, mud, and sometimes, we won’t have anyone to talk to! But let’s keep running to the finish line, calling on God’s strength, and making sure we don’t stop.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” – 2 Timothy 4:7.

The bats that we see flying so remarkably through the air cannot take off from a flat surface. If you place them on the floor or any flat surface, all they can do is painfully beat their wings until they attain a bit of elevation at which time they are able to take flight at lightening speed.

If a bumble bee falls into a drinking glass, it will remain there until it dies unless someone removes it. It will not seek escape from the open top of the glass but will desperately search for a way out from the sides near the bottom of the open container. It will search for a way out that does not exist until it perishes completely.

In a way, there are many people that are like falcons, bats, or bees. They try to free themselves from their problems and frustrations without realizing that the solution is right there above them.

There is a children’s Sunday school song which says, “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” How simple that is, yet how true. It illustrates that part of our Christian walk is that we engage in conversation with God. And when it comes to the meaning of the Scriptures, who best to ask about their interpretation than God himself? Interpretation is not solely a human exercise. If we truly want to know the meaning of God’s word, and we truly want that meaning to be an active part of our lives, we must communicate with God about what we find in his word – whether we love, dislike (perhaps even hate!), or are confused by it.

It should be said that talking to God about his word should not replace diligent study over his word. Rather, it should be an integral part of that study. In God’s wisdom, he designed his word as something to be wrestled with, that its meaning should be earned – and there will be places where this is certainly more difficult than others. But when we have wrestled, we are rewarded.

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:103

Reading a Biblical passage is often like listening to one end of a telephone conversation. If you happen to overhear the juicy details of a cell phone call, you may begin to wonder, “Who is he talking to?” “Just what are they talking about?” or “Why would she say that?” These are similar questions that we must ask of the text. Finding answers may require reading other books that deal with the history and background of the Bible, but learning as much as we can about the answers to these questions will help us to discover just what the original situation was like, and how much it was (or wasn’t) like our current day situation, either individually or collectively. Knowing these specific similarities and differences, then, we can better discern the core of the message that God was speaking to his people then, and, thus, the message that God speaks to us.

This is a common criterion among those of us who wish to know what the Bible says – and where! If someone is going to assert that the Bible is saying a certain thing, we will not take that assertion for granted – we want to see it for ourselves. Such diligence is good practice.

However, we must also remember that the Bible wasn’t written with chapters and verses. Consider that when we write a letter to someone, we do not parse the letter into chapters and verses. Otherwise, we could possibly reference a certain verse within our letter which could mean one thing all by itself, yet, without the verse markings, would mean something else – probably because it is attached to and influenced by other thoughts or phrases in the letter. This is one of the weaknesses of the chapter and verse markings in the Bible, often making it easy for us to practice “proof-texting.”

Proof-texting is using a specific text (such as a particular verse or sentence) to prove a point (a doctrine, a teaching, etc.), whether the text is actually making that point or not. Overall, this is poor interpretive practice. Yet, we all are probably guilty of having practiced it at one time or another (I know I certainly am!). Thus, when we are trying to draw the meaning out of a passage in the Bible, it is good for us to examine as much of the passages surrounding context as possible. The meaning of a verse or paragraph is usually not written in isolation from the other thoughts and phrases that surround it, and it is often influenced by them.

Again, interpretation can often be difficult work, but the end results are enriching! You will be blessed for your efforts!

Wait a minute – what kind of subconscious errors can we make?

Consider that when each of us approaches the Bible, we bring all sorts of “baggage” with us. That is, we bring personal history that is full of emotional and intellectual    understandings, which we call “presuppositions.” We may have arrived at these consciously (through reading a book or in a class), or subconsciously (an emotional event may establish an understanding in our mind – true or not – about “the way things are,” such as “I can’t trust people” or “Life is short”). These presuppositions are not necessarily bad things, but we must be aware of them, because our goal of interpretation is to look at the Bible objectively, and some of this baggage may cause us to insert subjective elements into our interpretation. In other words, our intent is to draw the meaning out of the biblical text, rather than allowing our “baggage” to colour a certain meaning into the text for us. As much as possible, it is best for us to approach the Bible without our baggage, though that is often a difficult task.

Indeed, interpretation can be a difficult task, but it doesn’t need to be intimidating. I hope that this coming series of articles will help each of us to be more humble and respectful interpreters.
 

“’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’” -- Mark 11:13-14; 20-25

I have recently been challenged with this teaching about faith in prayer over the past couple of months. Jesus’ example and teaching are strikingly clear: “If you do not doubt, you, too, could wipe out not just one tree, but an entire forest.” However, despite his clarity, to pray with such faith is perhaps one of our most difficult struggles.

Nevertheless, I believe this passage gives us permission to pray as large as we can possibly imagine, and that “to move mountains” is not to be taken with a grain of salt. Does God still work miracles in our lives? I truly believe that the answer to that question is a matter of our faith in prayer.

Now, let’s go take down a forest!

Upon entering his home, the minister found the man sitting alone in front of his fireplace. Not sure of what the minister was about to say, the man invited him to sit next to him in front of the fire and the two sat there quietly.

During this long silence the man observed the fire dancing about the logs in the hearth. After several moments his guest took the tongs, grasped a large glowing ember and set it away from the fire. Then he took his seat again without speaking.

The man watched this without a word. Soon the hot ember cooled and no longer produced any flame or heat. The preacher looked at his watch and decided it was time to leave. Before going, however, he picked up the cold ember and put it back into the log pile where the fire was burning. It immediately lit up and began to glow red once again.

As the minister headed for the door, the man said to him, "Thank you for your visit and that fiery sermon. I'll see you at worship service next Sunday."

Some place their friends on this throne. Many people allow their friends to dictate what they wear, what they say, what they do and even what they should believe about God. Theirs friends may be a blessing but also sometimes a curse as the Scriptures say, “Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (I Cor. 15:33)

Most people put themselves on this throne. They are self-centered and use every situation. Like the expression says, they only live for “me, myself and I”. Their life is self-centered and they are miserable.

Really, Jesus is the One we must place on this throne. If we want to experience an abundant life now and an eternal life in heaven, we must allow Jesus to influence and guide our lives! Jesus is Lord. The word “Lord” means master or owner, he who has power and authority on another. Is He your Lord?

In our personal life, if Jesus is not the master of all, He is not the master of anything.

We all serve someone. We all place someone on the throne of our life. It may be our enemies, our friends, ourself, Jesus or someone else, but we all serve someone.

Who do you serve? Who is your Lord?

Our head spins from all of this! Looking to infinity, what is human existence? Does the Architect of the universe consider our little problems? Does He answer our prayers? Does He interact in our daily lives?

The Bible is categorical. God loves us, He watches over us. He sent and gave His only Son so that, through Him, we might have life. We have value in His sight. He loves us, He speaks to us. The fact that He controls the trajectory of each of the millions of stars that populate the heavens does not prevent Him to watch over the birds. He pays a lot more attention to the cry of a child than to all the satellites that man can put into space; He cares more about the sadness of a soul than the launch of any rocket.

" ... Your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him. " (Matthew 6:8)

• People are talking, catching up with one another
• People are eating, nourishing their bodies
• People are preparing food in the kitchen, a sort of microcosm of specialized activity
• Most of the time, people are quite enjoying themselves – the fellowship and the food are simply enjoyable

In fact, a meal around a table with family and friends is so charged with potential, that God gives special significance to such occasions. First, we discover that the Passover and the Lord’s Supper were celebrated around a meal (Ex. 12; Matt. 26). Why? I’m not sure we’ll ever know just exactly why, but perhaps because attentiveness is peculiarly high during a meal, and God, in his wisdom, sought to use that time, as well as a number of the elements of the meal itself, to stimulate our thoughts, our hearts, and our sense of unity to remembrance and thanksgiving. Indeed, this is one of the most explicit displays of family.

Secondly, we also find that association during meals comes to a heightened awareness, and can the Biblical examples can teach us. Peter, in Galatians 2:11-14, was rebuked by Paul for sitting down to eat with only the Jews, and not the Gentiles. In 1 Cor. 5:11, Paul instructs that Christians are not to share meals with brethren who practice explicitly worldly behaviour. However, we also find that Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees for eating with “sinners” (Mark 2:16).

So, as we sit down to eat today, consider what God has accomplished in the family meal.

Bon appétit!

However, my tendency to keep quiet has oftentimes extended into my prayer life. My default is that I would rather not talk to God, despite the fact that I know that prayer is an essential part of my relationship with him. How have I dealt with this? Simply by being honest with God and saying, “I don’t feel like talking to you right now.” Incredibly, I find that this honesty breaks down the reluctance to talk to God, and I end up having a rewarding time of prayer. What an amazing feeling to be entirely honest with the one who isn’t going to judge me for being honest with him!

What can you take from this? Honesty in your prayer life can be deepening. The psalmists were often brutally honest with God. Sentiments such as, “Seriously, God, I hate these unrighteous people!” to “I feel like you are far away from me, God. Where are you?” expressed the true feelings of the writers, and allowed them to communicate with God without pretense. Not feeling thankful? Say so. Angry with God? Tell him. It’s okay.

But don’t leave it there. Many psalms that start on a sour note often contain hints or sections of hope, thanksgiving or praise. Thus, in addition to expressing how you really feel, ask for God’s help. Ask him to foster thanksgiving in your heart. Ask him to open your eyes to show you why he has done what he has done in your life. Besides, isn’t it for reasons like this that we approach God?

Afterwards she approached the men and asked if she could speak with them. She said, "The person who just passed by is my husband. Before, he was a drunk. He spent all of our money on alcohol. At night he would come home after drinking with you and beat me up. My children had no clothing and we were late on all of our bills. We often had nothing to eat and our lives were miserable. Then one day he went to church and a marvellous thing happened. He heard a message of hope and he replied with faith. A man enslaved to alcohol was buried with Christ and a new man came out of the water! Today my children have clothing. We pay our bills. We always have something to eat and he is always with us at night. We are finally a family! So, I have something to ask of you. If this man is dreaming, whatever you do ... DON'T WAKE HIM UP!"

Jesus can transform anyone's life.

"If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Remember that certain dreams do come true!

Syncopation is that creative element within music that does things differently, playing notes and phrases where we wouldn’t normally expect to hear them. The church, while having certain boundaries established by God, also has the freedom to experiment, to see what “sounds” good in order to accomplish God’s will.

Improvisation is another element where musicians are called upon to put something together right now, and to do it well takes practice and experience. The church is a living, breathing body, and its needs are not always written in stone. Thus, we must often improvise, making quick decisions, while also calling on God’s wisdom and experience. Spontaneity, however, can often be a beautiful thing.

Ensemble means that the musicians are playing together. While they have freedom to create and improvise, they are nevertheless playing the same song, and must be sensitive to each other’s movements in order to maintain their common goal. In like, the church, with its freedoms and individuality, must still function as the body of Christ, reading the same piece of music: the gospel.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” – 1 Cor. 12:4-6

In addition, as we celebrate, remember that you, as a Christian, are no stranger to patriotic celebrations. In fact, such is a weekly occurrence for us. We sing anthems like, “This World is Not My Home.” We remember figures in our history such as Abraham, who, “...when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents ... For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb. 11:8-10)

And, we acknowledge that “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Php. 3:20) So, even though we celebrate at this time of year, we are still foreigners in this land. That’s because whether we live in freedom or in fear, in affluence or in poverty, our loyalty lies with Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, who rules from our home – heaven.

Jesus said in Matt. 23:9, “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” Ultimately, we must be pointed toward God in recognition that he is the Father of
fathers – the one who completes our fatherhood experience. This passage was primarily directed at the teachers of the law, yet it nevertheless holds true for us, too. And, as I am finding personally, this is not simply in an intellectual sense. God will do all for us that our fathers couldn’t or wouldn’t do – and more.

How do we do experience this fatherhood practically? I believe it can begin with something as simple as a prayer. And, since my thoughts on this subject have been influenced by authors John Eldredge and Gordon Dalbey, I will close with a suggested prayer from one of them:

“Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true Father – my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you, I trust you, I worship you ... [And] I need a father. There is so much in me that yet needs fathering. Please father me. Father me. All this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, with all glory and honour and thanks to him.” Amen.

Ultimately, God defines blessedness. In the case of Job (Job 42:12), we discover that blessedness consisted of being favoured by God with possessions, family, and old age. In the Beatitudes we discover that blessedness rests upon those who are persecuted, insulted and slandered on account of Christ. What, then, is common between these two seemingly polarized and extreme examples? Proximity to God. We are blessed when we are close to God, when we are like him. Consider these other “beatitudes”:

“Blessed ... are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28)

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” (Psalm 32:1)

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)