In part one of this blog, I mentioned the first three dimensions of the “Gospel of Self” that Al Mohler dealt with in his address at the 2007 “Together for the Gospel” conference … self-fulfillment, self-sufficiency, self-definition.  I found these ideas captivating, not only in understanding the culture we live in, but also the ways it tries to seduce us into thinking these vain thoughts.  Here are the remaining four.

SELF-ABSORPTION.  Our culture is increasingly driven by the idea that the only thing that matters is “me.”  When people become so absorbed in themselves, they make decisions apart from a concern for the impact on others.  And the idea of a principle of right and wrong (let alone a God who defines those values) becomes meaningless.  Mohler refers to a scenario pastor/counselors hear all too often.  “I divorced because I needed to, in order to become the self that I need to be.”  How different that is from true religion which focuses on God and His will, not self and its wishes.

SELF-TRANSCENDENCE.  “Spirituality” is popular today, but not in the traditional sense; and certainly not in any sense connected with what is derisively called “organized religion.”  People are interested in something more than the physical world.  But the new spirituality is sought within one's self through crystals and new age fantasies and in customized blends of religious ideas.  Spirituality is more of a metaphysical cafeteria where people pick a little of this and a little of that, and then stir it all up to give them a sense of “something” beyond themselves.  But that “something” does not exist outside of their imagination.  It is really only an extension of their own personality.  In contrast, the true God exists independent of any created being.

SELF-ENHANCEMENT.  We are living in an age when people are driven to whatever is possible (and science is making more and more things possible!) to enhance and improve themselves, even to the point of dangerous procedures.  Athletes take steroids to achieve levels of performance they could not attain in their own natural strength.  Mothers give their daughters breast augmentation surgery for high school presents to enhance their sensuality.  And we are hearing more and more about the potentials for genetically engineering babies with super intellects.  How different was Paul’s attitude when he wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11).

SELF-SECURITY.  Here’s one that really hits home as a challenge for us to live in a way that is consistent with what we claim to believe.  All around us are people who believe they are safe.  This false sense of security is like a tranquilizing drug in our emotions.  Mohler writes …

We have childproof caps on our medicine bottles.  We have warnings on coffee cups from MacDonalds that we ought not to drive with the beverage in our lap.  We have vaccines, antibiotics, MRIs, and CAT scans.  We have OSHA, and bumpers on our cars that are made to receive the impact and then return to normal.  We are told to wear seat belts.  We have a massive military and a police force.  We have hospitals, and we think we are safe.  We even extend this financially: we want to retire, we have investments, and we feel safe.

How things have changed, though, in that realm since Mohler wrote those words.  The recent economic collapse should have shaken that sense of security.  But we’ll get past it, just like we got past 9-11, and that sense of safety will wash over us again.

Mohler points out, though, that throughout history, Christians have never had the right to feel safe.  Not only is that because of persecution.  Along with everyone else, we have always faced dangers from disease and famine and war, even before the word “terrorist” was common.  Our safety is not in our medicines or our economy or our military.  The only safety is in God.  And it is a safety that will not keep us from pain and suffering and death.  Rather, it is a safety that will use those very things as means of strengthening us spiritually and delivering us to a life beyond this one.

These seven dimensions of the “Gospel of the Self” can very easily seep into our hearts if we are not careful.  The temptations we face are not just lust and pride and a critical spirit.  We also face the temptation to adopt a self-focused perspective on life.  As the Puritan John Owen warned us, “Be ever killing sin, or it will be killing you.”

I am reading a book that contains the addresses presented at the 2006 “Together for the Gospel” conference.  Several of the most influential Reformed scholars of our time spoke to preachers there about the importance of “Preaching the Cross” (the book’s title) in an age when much preaching has been pitifully watered-down.  The speakers included Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, R. C. Sproul, John Piper, C. J. Mahaney, and John MacArthur.  The addresses were published in this volume by Crossway Books in 2007.

One of the messages given - and printed - was by Al Mohler, whose blog/commentary I read almost every day (at www.albertmohler.com).  He spoke to the issue of “Preaching with the Culture in View.”  In that address, he elaborated on the ways in which our culture has become so absorbed with “self” as to make this virtually an anti-gospel, one that we can fall for as Christians if we’re not careful.  Here are the first three categories of this alternate gospel.  Next time, I’ll add the other four.

SELF-FULFILLMENT.  Radical individualism reigns and convinces people that they have a right to an exciting, exhilarating, satisfying life.  Happiness is the idol that tantalizes the heart.  To achieve that, people need therapy.  Preaching becomes a form of “group session therapy.” Christian bookstores are filled with “inspirational” books that offer a secular therapeutic worldview with a sprinkling of Bible verses to make them sound Christian.  Media evangelists of the health-and-wealth and name-it/claim-it schools promote this idea that God wants you to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of.  Mohler writes …

... that the psychotherapeutic worldview suggests that all Americans, all human beings through all history, in fact, are either in therapy or in denial ….  They believe that they have an alien problem that is to be resolved with an inner solution.  What the gospel says, however, is that we have an inner problem that demands an alien solution.

That alien solution, of course, is repentance and faith at the foot of the cross.

SELF-SUFFICIENCY.  People have adopted an exaggerated view of their own competency, which has led them to believe that they possess within themselves everything they need for the self-fulfillment they are convinced is their birth-right.  That includes a self-sufficient authority that frees them from bowing to any authority outside of themselves.  No one else has the right to tell them what to believe, or what they can or cannot do.  But the true Gospel calls us not to self-sufficiency – depending totally on ourselves, but to Christ-sufficiency – depending totally on Him.

SELF-DEFINITION.  This takes self-suffiency one step further down the path of radical self-autonomy by claiming that we have the right to define things in whatever way we choose.  Look at how our culture is seeking to redefine what it means to be human (using embyos for stem cell-research), what it means to be male and female (sex-change operations), even redefining marriage (gay marriages today, multiple marital partners tomorrow).  This is a part of post-modernism’s claim that all truth is socially constructed and is free for deconstruction by each individual.

Have we fallen for any of these lies?  Is culture’s anti-gospel infecting our thinking?  (part two - the next four - next time)

Betty and I wore black yesterday.  We're in mourning.  There wasn't much to celebrate.  We certainly understand the legitimate ecstacy of African-Americans to see such a man elected.  But if only it had been someone with views like Alan Keyes! 

As it is, we have a president-elect with the most liberal voting record in the Senate, and one who has already announced his intent to advance the agenda of those pushing for legalization of live-birth abortions and gay marriage, not to mention his economic philosophy that has all the marks of classic (failed) socialism.  (See Joel Belz's excellent editorial in the newest edition of World magazine.)   And then there's the matter of the kind of Supreme Court judges we can expect him to appoint.

There were two things to celebrate, though.  One is that the marriage amendments passed in California (!!!) as well in Florida.  The other is that God was not up for re-election.  He remains King of kings ... and of presidents! 

One of our members here at LOPC, Debbye Tate, wrote an excellent personal reflection about all this to her email friends yesterday.  With her permission, I include it here, echoing her sentiments ...

My long-awaiting ESV Study Bible arrived today.  I assume many others here at LOPC who pre-ordered a copy have also received theirs.  What a treasure ... not only an excellent new translation of God's word (the English Standard Version), but also the richest one-volume collection of personal study tools I have ever seen!

If you have one, be sure to notice the flyer inside the back cover.  It gives you directions for a free download of an online version of this marvelous publication.  It includes a scratch-off box with the registration code you'll need to be able to get your copy.  Make sure you do that before you lose it.

The team of translators (the 2001 ESV Bible) and contributors (the 2008 study notes) includes many of the best-known evangelical and Reformed scholars of our day.  It has already received widespread acclaim from such men as R. C. Sproul and John Piper.  Many PCA churches have purchased pew editions for their sanctuaries and our PCA publishing house (Great Commission Publications) will be using this translation in the revisions of their Sunday School literature over the next few years.

Here at Lake Osborne, we will celebrate the arrival of this new study tool with a special 6:00 pm Sunday night program on October 26th (Reformation Sunday).  Dr. Sam Lamerson, Professor of New Testament at Knox Theological Seminary, will be our guest to take us through a summary of the history of the translation of the Bible into the English language from the time of the Reformation up to the present.

Next week, I'll add another portion about this in a blog about using Robert Murray McCheyne's excellent Bible reading calendar.  This 19th century Scottish pastor devised a plan for reading through the entire Bible.  It is the best I have ever seen.  I want to encourage many of you to do this now that you have this new ESV study version in hand.  Be sure to check back here to read about it.

In my reading today for the Wednesday evening studies in Genesis, I came across an interesting question.  "What if God turned Himself off?"  It relates to the issue of just how dependent we are on Him; just how actively involved He is in the everyday affairs of the universe; just how much His will has to do with things like stock markets and presidential campaigns and doctor's reports.

Is He just watching as a passive spectator, reaching in every now and then to fix things when they go wrong?  We don't believe that, but I'm afraid we act like it.  At least, that's what it looks like when things get rough and our feelings become dominated by fear and anxiety.

Would God "turning Himself off" be like a symphony orchestra in the midst of a concert, suddenly affected by the conductor's walking off-stage?  Would the members keep on playing from the musical scores in front of them, the music continuing, but less and less beautiful as they miss entrances and stray from the tempo?  Or would it be much more dramatic than that?

In Richard Bube's The Human Quest (Word, 1971), he defends his thesis: "The universe exists moment by moment only because of the creative and preserving power of God."  We know this as the doctrine of providence.  If God turned Himself off, would anything change?  Would natural laws keep things going, for a while at least?  Would everything just begin to slowly and gradually fade to black?  No, everything would cease to exist ... instantly!

Bube illustrates this with the analogy of a television screen.

Personalities appear on the screen and interact with one another according to the laws of the world and life.  They love, they fight; if they step off buildings, they fall (barring children's cartoons!); if they are cut, they bleed.   But what happens if the plug of the set is pulled out?  Do the laws of nature in the events on the television screen begin to fail?  Do the characters begin to be less loving and considerate?  No, when the power is removed - when the plug is pulled - the very source of existence is gone: the personalities on the screen in their life and story context simply cease to exist.  (p. 27-28)

It's just as Scripture tells us in Acts 17:28, "For in Him we live and move and have our being."

Isn't it wonderful that there is no plug to God?!

I am writing this on a Friday morning, before the US stock markets open after a disastrous Thursday sell-off, and with overnight news of dramatic overseas declines.  What should we make of all this news, as Christians?  Last Sunday morning I preached from Psalm 11:3, "When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"  That question David faced is the same question we face in the tumultuous times now facing us.

I ended the sermon with a reference to Psalm 46, one that seems even more timely today than it did last weekend.  I am thinking especially of verses 2 and 3: " ... though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."  The mountains falling into the sea in the Psalmist's day are no more or less unsettling than stocks crashing in markets around the world today.

What is God's greatest concern in all of this?  Is it that we find a way to protect our investments so as to have more of this world's benefits to enjoy in the remaining years of our lives?  Or is it that we benefit from this opportunity to grow a faith that is stronger than steel?  Financial gurus tell us we should think about long-term gains, not short-term losses.  If that's true in the financial world, how much more true it is in the spiritual realm.

Psalm 46 begins with the words, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear ..." regardless of what happens in the world around us.  The greatest victory available to us today will not be on Wall Street; it will be in our hearts, as we discover how the presence of the Lord, His sovereign control and His massive promises, demolishes the temptation to fear.

Its gorgeous here in the countryside south of Kiev, Ukraine.  Spring flowers are abundant; lilac bushes are heavy with the purple clusters, filling the air with that distinct sweet aroma; summer marigolds, petunias, and geraniums are opening their blossoms; the singing of birds is echoing through the forest outside my window; and the skies are a cloudless royal blue reflecting off the placid water of the river just down the hill.

But the most beautiful sight is that of the faces of eager and appreciative students who have come for this spring term at the Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine.  There are about forty of them from all over Ukraine (as well as from Russia, Poland, Belarus, and Uzebekistan).  They come here to Kiev four times a year for two week concentrated class sessions.  What an extraordinary privilege and responsibility the Lord has given me to help shape the worship of almost all the churches in this entire generation through the pastors and church leaders who are in my class on the theology, history, and practice of worship!

Mealtimes are very special.  As we all eat together in the dining hall, I get the chance to listen to the stories of how God has brought these people to Christ, and how He is preparing and already using them to plant and grow healthy churches in their communities in this formerly atheistic secular culture, where in years past most church buildings were either dynamited or turned into “Museums of Atheism.”

Anya moved away from home three years ago right after high school to get away from the beatings of her alcoholic father.  She found a place to live in a new city, sharing rent for a very small apartment with two other girls about her age.  They were Christians and invited her to their church.  She had grown up with no religious experience whatsoever.  She went with them and was moved to tears by the joy and genuineness of the singing that first Sunday.  Through that, God opened her heart to hear and believe the Gospel.  She’s taking classes at the seminary now to learn more Bible and theology to help her in youth ministry and teaching.

Sasha grew up in Western Ukraine in a nominally Orthodox family, but it never meant anything to him.  By the age of 16 he was disillusioned with life and felt there had to be something more.  He “happened” to pick up a Bible and started reading it.  It made sense to him, and he believed what it said.  He got into a Baptist church and then wound up planting a Baptist church on his own.  But he and his congregation have now discovered Reformed theology, and have even starting baptizing infants!  They’re trying to figure out if they’re Bapterians or Presbtists!

Andrei grew up as a convinced atheist in Odessa.  He met a couple of guys playing basketball.  Their friendship grew, and he discovered they were Christians.  They invited him to church (the church where I brought the organ in 2004) and he went just to be polite.  What he heard made sense to him.  Before long he became a believer.  Later he was ordained as a deacon, and is now helping to plant another Presbyterian church in the north part of Odessa.

I love meeting people like this who are now my family members in Christ, and who I count among my “forever-friends.” Seeing Jesus build His church, just as He promised He would, is a thrill of unparalleled delight!  Thanks for praying for me … and for them.  I look forward to introducing you to them when we all get “home.”

I loved it!  It was like a mini-version of the 12-hour “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (which I have watched in its entirety four times!).  C. S. Lewis (Narnia author) and J. R. R. Tolkein (LOTR author) were good friends and colleagues who shared a Christian world and life view as well as a love for fantasy literature.

More than one person from LOPC who went to see “Prince Caspian” told me they didn’t get the message.  They thought it was just another movie about people killing one another.  Let me summarize some of the main themes that made this such a powerful portrayal of this Christian “World and Life View” that we talk about so much.

First, the characters …

1. The obvious – Aslan (the Lion) is Jesus.  He is the King of all Narnia, even of those who don’t believe in Him. 
2. The four children – Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy are believers who have been called by God to rule the earth in His name as kings and queens.
3. The “bad guys” – the Telmarines, led by the power-hungry Miraz, are those who seek to dominate this world out of the sinful, self-centered godlessness of their hearts.
4. The “good guys” – the Narnians (all the talking animals) are God’s people in this world who are persecuted and driven into hiding by the wicked.
5. The “hero” – Prince Caspian, who is the rightful ruler of Narnia, is every one of us, as evil seeks to drive us from our rightful position as heirs of the kingdom of God.
6. The “villain” – the White Witch, Jadis, even though slain, is still able to exert influence, just as Satan does today.

Second, the plot …

1. Like our own day, the movie occurs at a time when the idea of God (Aslan) has been rejected as a myth, and those who believe it are ridiculed and sidelined.
2. Like our own day, God’s people (the Narnians) are in need of those who will lead them to rise up and oppose the forces of godlessness and wickedness.
3. Like our own day, we are called to a life of battle as soldiers of the cross, not a life of ease and laziness.
4. Like our own day, we are to call on and rely on Christ, not ourselves.  When Peter led them into battle prematurely apart from Aslan’s help, they suffered defeat.
5. Like our own day, we must follow Jesus (Aslan), even when we can’t see Him with our eyes (as the children failed to do after Lucy saw Him, but they didn’t believe her).
6. Like our own day, battles for godliness will be (figuratively, at least) bloody, as we resist the world, the flesh, and the devil; but Christ’s ultimate victory is sure.

Don’t merely enjoy the powerful cinematology and phenomenal computer generated images (they are spectacular!).  Enjoy the message.  And then head out into our own Narnia with the banner of Aslan.

One more thing ... Reepicheep, the valiant little mouse captain, is a model of courage for believers.  And how touching that when he was humiliated by the loss of his tail in battle, the other mice were prepared to cut off their tails as a compassionate act of comradeship with him.  Do you see the message of comradeship among fellow soldiers of the cross for today?

That’s the title of the anthem our choir sang recently.  Sydney Carter wrote the words in 1963, using a tune from an 1843 Shaker composition, “Simple Gifts” (‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free).

After church I learned that the words to that anthem “Lord of the Dance” were unsettling to some.  Does Jesus dance?  Does the Bible permit us to use that language?  Here are the words to the song.  The text imagines Jesus to be the one singing, describing His own dancing through the varying stages of His work, from creation to His earthly ministry to the cross and to His resurrection.

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,

and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,

and I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth.

At Bethlehem I had my birth.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,

But they would not dance and they wouldn’t follow Me;

I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;

They came to Me and the dance went on.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said He,

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said He.

I danced on the Sabbath when I cured the lame,

The holy people said it was a shame;

They whipped and they stripped and they hung Me high;

And they left Me there on a cross to die. (Refrain)

I danced on a Friday and the sky turned black;

It’s hard to dance with the Devil on your back;

They buried My body and they thought I’d gone,

But I am the dance and I still go on.

They cut me down and I leapt up high,

I am the life that’ll never, never die;

I’ll live in you if you live in Me;

I am the Lord of the dance said He.

So, does the Bible allow us to sing this?  I answer enthusiastically, “YES!”  Many of the Psalms command us to dance for joy before the Lord (e.g.: Psalm 150:4).  David danced for joy before the Lord when He brought the ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6).  His wife Michal was even condemned to a life of barrenness because of her contempt for David’s public display of what she wrongly regarded as irreverent.   In the Parable of the Prodigal Son’s Father, Jesus described the father running (a culturally inappropriate thing for such a man to do, akin to dancing for joy) to greet his returning wayward son (Luke 15:20).  And Jesus also told us heaven is filled with joy over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7).

Even more dramatically, we read of God’s joy over the salvation of His people in Zephaniah 3.  “Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!  The LORD has taken away your punishment.”  The prophet goes on to say of this God who “is mighty to save,”  “He will take great delight in you … He will rejoice over you with singing.”  The Hebrew word translated “rejoice” is a word full of the overtones of dancing and celebration.  It has led another to translate it as “He will dance over you with joy.”

If you are bothered by the imagery of a God who dances for joy, then I fear your image of God is too narrow!  Our covenant Redeemer is not one who sits in impassive stoicism on the throne of heaven, arms folded and eyes squinting like a policeman looking for people who are breaking the law.  No, ours is a God who rejoices over His works in creation (Genesis repeatedly tells us God saw all that He had made and it was good).  Jesus shared in the joy of the wedding at Cana where He performed His first miracle (John 2).  If there is joy and laughter and dancing anywhere in the universe, it is because God made us in His own image with the capacity for such joy.  His dancing and singing for joy must be infinitely greater than ours!

So I hope when we sing this anthem again, it will lead you to a more complete and Biblical view of a God who does indeed dance with joy before His people in the work He is doing to make them His own.

What do wartime walkie-talkies and domestic intercoms have to do with missions?  I’ll tell you in a minute.  Read on. 

We begin our annual missions conference here at LOPC this weekend.  Back on January 27, 2008 I preached a sermon about “Praying for Workers for the Harvest.”  This past Sunday I preached about “God’s Passion for Missions.”  In both, I reminded us all that prayer is essential to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

As part of my preparation, I re-read John Piper’s excellent book on missions, “Let the Nations Be Glad” (2003, Baker Books and Desiring God Ministries).  This is the source of the famous line I love to quote.  It comes in his opening paragraph.  “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church.  Worship is.  Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

Piper also offered a really good description of how our prayer life ought to function as we beseech God’s blessings on our mission endeavors.  Here’s what he wrote.

Life is war.  That’s not all it is.  But it is always that.  Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth.  Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief.  It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den.  (p. 45)

Piper expands on this a few pages later.

Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for.  Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission.  It is as though the field commander (Jesus) called in the troops, gave them a crucial mission (go and bear fruit), handed each of them a personal transmitter coded to the frequency of the General’s headquarters, and said, “Comrades, the General has a mission for you.  He aims to see it accomplished.  And to that end he has authorized me to give each of you personal access to him through these transmitters.  If you stay true to his mission ands seek his victory first, he will always be as close as your transmitter, to give tactical advice and to send air cover when you need it.”

But what have millions of Christians done?  We have stopped believing that we are in a war.  No urgency, no watching, no vigilance.  No strategic planning.  Just easy peace and prosperity.  And what did we do with the walkie-talkie?  We tried to rig it up as an intercom in our houses and cabins and boats and cars – not to call in firepower for conflict with a mortal enemy but to ask for more comforts in the den.  (p. 49)

I’m using my walkie-talkie today to pray that God would energize each of us at LOPC to take our places on the front lines of the battle during this missions conference.

If you’d like to find out more about John Piper, go to his website: www.desiringgod.org .

Don Whitney's presentations at our "Spiritual Life Conference" here last weekend were everything we had hoped for, and more!  Most of the excited feedback I heard was in regard to his Saturday night material on "Family Worship" (see below about ordering his booklet and audio CD), and about his Friday night material on "Prayer."

Don has graciously allowed us to post the audio recordings of his messages.  You can listen to them on our church web site.  There's a link there from the home page that will take you to them.  If you weren't here, you really ought to listen to them.  They cover eight key areas of spiritual disciplines that are essential to a healthy and growing and productive life.  And if you were here, you ought to listen to them again to make sure you've thoroughly digested them and put them to work in your life.

Now, to what Don had to say about prayer.  It was the first session on Friday night.  He helped us face the frustration that almost all of us feel about how anemic our prayer lives are.  We tend to feel discouraged over this, thinking there must be something wrong with us.  But he showed us that it's not us; it's our method.  We pray about the same things in the same way day after day.  And then we wonder why our prayer life is boring? 

No, the problem isn't with us; it's with our method.  Don borrowed from Martin Luther's classic instructions on prayer (written in the 1500s to help his barber learn how to pray!).  What Don showed us was how to pray the Psalms, using the words of a Psalm, phrase by phrase, to launch us into fresh prayers every day about the things we have on our "prayer list." 

For example, with Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd," he suggested that we pray that phrase, and then stop and think for a minute (listen to the second message on Friday night, "Meditation") before praying for all the things that phrase brings to mind.  "Lord, I thank you for all the ways (list some of them!) that You are such a marvelous shepherd to me.  I pray that you will shepherd my spouse, my children, my grandchildren, in these specific ways ...."

What Psalm do you pray?  Here again, Don had a simple solution that works for every believer, from the simplest soul to the most sophisticated intellectual.  Turn to the Psalm that corresponds to the date you're praying.  Then add multiples of 30 - 30 days in the month - to look at a total of five Psalms.  Today is January 23rd, so this morning I looked at Psalms 23, 53, 83, 113, and 143.  Then select one of those to use as your prayer guide Psalm for that day.  In a month with 31 days, use part of Psalm 119 on that last day.

It works.  One lady went home Friday night with a commitment to try it.  On Saturday morning, she got started at 5:30, intending to spend ten or fifteen minutes.  Before she realized it, it was 7:00.  She didn't want to stop.  How long has it been since that's happened to your prayer life!?

Let me add one additional suggestion to what Don offered.  Trying reading / praying the Psalm, thinking about what it would have meant when Jesus did so.  He did, you know, in the prayers in the synagogues, using these Psalms which He had written!  It won't work for all of them (as in penitential Psalms life Psalm 51), but in others you'll gain a new perspective about Him.

Yesterday I used Psalm 52, and was thrilled with a deeper sense of Jesus' praying those words, asking God the Father to give Him victory over the evil one, Satan, who was seeking to thwart His saving work.  I heard Jesus' voice in that Psalm, rejoicing that God will "snatch and tear (Satan) from your tent."  And He did, in the victory at Calvary and at the empty grave.

Are you trying to pray this way in your personal morning worship time?  If so, add a comment to this posting, and share a testimony about how it's going.  Your words will be an encouragement to others to give it a try! 

P. S.  Don's material about "Family Worship" is available in a copyrighted booklet and an audio CD.  That's why they're not on the church web site along with the other messages.  But you can order copies of those by going to his web site: www.BiblicalSpirituality.org.

Have you ever made one?  Have you ever kept it past the middle of January?! 

There is nothing in the Bible about such resolutions.  In fact, when I went on-line to look up the origin of the practice at Wikipedia, I found this fascinating description.  It is asserted that the tradition of making New Year's resolutions dates back to the Babylonians. Babylonians, from historical records, are the first ones to fest New Year and also are known to have set New Year resolutions. The most common of their resolutions was said to be “to return the borrowed farm equipment.”

But while there’s nothing in the Bible about making New Year’s resolutions, there’s plenty in the Bible about making promises (“vows”) to the Lord.  Such “discipline” was a part of the 18^th century “methodistic” approach to spirituality that John Wesley advocated. That included resolutions about daily Bible study and journaling and weekly times of fasting and prayer. Jonathan Edwards is remembered for the 70 resolutions he made over the years, determining to read over his list once each week.  You can find the whole list at this web site: http://www.reformed.org/documents/Edwards/index.html?mainframe=/documents/Edwards/j_edwards_resolutions.html

I would love to hear about your resolution.  In fact, it would be interesting to have many of you post your resolutions as comments to this blog.  It would encourage all of us to pursue the commitments we’ve made.  And it would add a degree of accountability as we invite others to ask us how we’re doing in keeping the resolutions we’ve made public!

It doesn’t have to be anything too big or dramatic. Mine is a simple one.  Several times over the years I have started using Charles Spurgeon’s classic daily devotions: “Morning and Evening.”  But I never completed it.  After I missed a day here and a day there, I gave up.  This year I’m going to get all the way through … all 365 mornings and evenings!  Ask me how I’m doing in a month or two!

When Christians make New Year’s resolutions, there are several things that distinguish them from those of non Christians.  First, we look for something that will have spiritual (eternal) as well as temporal (material, physical, this-worldly) benefit.  Second, we aim for something the Lord wants us to do, not something we want.  Third, we pursue it to please Him, not to impress others.  And fourth, we do it in His strength, not our own.

Now it’s your turn.  What is your New Year’s resolution?  Post it as a comment to this blog.  Then let’s check on one another to see how we’re doing.

2.  Why Reject Christmas?

The argument I hear most often is that we shouldn’t observe Christmas (or have anything to do with it) is because of its origins in paganism.  The Biblical principle is right on target.  We’re to live separated lives (Rom. 12:1-2), not joining ourselves to unbelief (2 Cor. 6:14ff).  But I disagree that a refusal to enter into Christmas festivities is a correct application of that principle.  The names of the days of our week (Sunday, Monday, etc.) all have pagan origins as well.  Will we refuse to participate in the use of those names for that reason?  Of course not.  No one today has any awareness of what those ancient pagan origins might have been.  That’s all been lost in antiquity.

Did Christmas have a pagan origin?  No.  Christmas was a new celebration that replaced an old pagan one.  There’s a difference.  There was indeed a pagan celebration at the same time of the year.  It appears to have been the Roman Feast of Saturnalia.  Christians have no business celebrating such a feast.  We don’t, and neither did our forefathers.  When that day was conscripted for the celebration of Christ’s birth, it wasn’t an accommodation of Jesus to paganism.  Quite the opposite was true.  It was the triumph of Jesus over paganism.  As Hank Hanegraaf has written, “the church was not ‘endorsing’ a pagan ceremony but ‘establishing’ a rival celebration.”  And the Christian version won!

This is by no means the only situation in which Biblical concepts have triumphed over secular or pagan ones.  Scholars have found evidence that suggests that circumcision may have been practiced in ancient Egypt.  If that is correct, there’s another instance in which new and glorious meaning overcame a practice that had pagan origins.  Pagans used to worship the sun in its rising, thinking it was a god.  I will celebrate sunrise for an entirely different reason.  It marks the gift of another day from my God, and brings me one more day closer to the return of Christ, the Light of the World.

A related objection is that the name Christmas is itself an outgrowth of the heresies of Roman Catholic worship at the “Christ Mass.”  Certainly we reject all of the idolatrous dimensions of the Roman mass with its theology of a repeated sacrifice of Christ at the hands of a priest.  But my preaching about Christ’s incarnation has nothing whatsoever in common with the Roman liturgy.  Feel free to change the name if you must, but don’t take away the celebration.  I don’t really see the need to change the name, anyway, since I’ve never met anyone in the church’s I have pastored who felt we were perpetuating a Roman Christ Mass, not even former Catholics who had come to Christ.  And they would have been the ones most sensitive to that potential danger.

A second objection to the celebration of Christmas is that we don’t know that Jesus was born on December 25^th.  In fact, the odds are probably 364 to 1 that He was born on some other day of the year.  But that doesn’t invalidate the celebration of that event on a date  that has become so widely accepted as a reasonable place in time in which to focus our thoughts on the incarnation.  We’d have a hard time finding someone who is absolutely convinced that it was on December 25^th.  And we’d have an even more difficult time finding someone who believed that there is some special spiritual significance that requires making it that day.  It’s simply become a convenient time to make sure it’s remembered.

A third objection is drawn from Paul’ words regarding the observance of special days in Colossians 2:16ff and Rom. 14:5ff.  In both passages, Paul reaffirms the freedom we have in Christ.  To impose one day above another as a mandatory religious celebration is clearly forbidden (option number one above).  Also forbidden would be any attempt to attach some unique spirituality to the day or to a celebration of what it represents.  Paul is the champion of the freedom inherent in the gospel that enables me to choose to regard days as all equally holy and to use particular days in particular ways (e.g.: Christmas) as I find that they aid me in my love for Christ.

In a real sense, this is an extension of Paul’s argument over the matter of eating meat offered to idols.  There is no legal standard to which Paul appeals so as to prohibit the practice on “legalistic” grounds.  He regards it as something to be judged case by case.  The guiding principle is how it will help or hinder others in the faith.  Thus, he writes in 1 Cor. 10:23, “All things are lawful but not all things are profitable.  All things are lawful but not all things edify.”  In the present context of this article, I would conclude that Christmas celebrations are lawful.  The deciding factor is whether or not they are profitable, whether or not they edify.  And the answer to that, I would suggest, is a resounding, “YES!”  One needs only to listen to the exuberant praise of a congregation singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” on Christmas Eve.

3.  What About Christmas Practices?

If the concept of a Christmas celebration is indeed permissible, what about some of the practices associated with it.  Some who will tolerate a minimal observance of the season will bristle at common practices that have come to be associated with it.  Practices that are not sinful (we’re not talking about the office party with free-flowing liquor and bawdy behavior).  But practices that some regard as having no legitimate connection with the gospel.

In the first place, what should we think about Christmas trees?  Are these, as some would contend, a modern form of idolatry?  After all, Jeremiah 10 does warn about cutting trees out of the forest and then decorating them with silver and gold.  But this was for the purpose of shaping that tree into the statue of a permanent wooden idol, one that (as Isaiah also described them) cannot walk or see or hear or speak.  That’s a far cry from the temporary adornment of the Christmas trees in our homes, trees that are thrown into the trash or stored in the attic soon after New Year’s.

It was very interesting to discover the origin of our practice.  It apparently began in the Middle Ages in Germany with what were called “paradise trees.”  These were decorated with apples to symbolize the tree of life in the Garden of Eden.  This is the same tree that Revelation says will populate the streets of heaven.  These were not idols before which people bowed in worship.  No, they were attractive reminders of the life lost in the Garden but waiting to be given afresh in heaven through the work of Christ.

One dimension of a Christian celebration of Christmas is the opportunity to engage unbelievers in conversation about the true meaning of Christmas.  Many families find joy in doing that with Chrismons on their tree.  These are symbols of the faith (like triangles, Chi-Rhos, Alpha/Omegas, crosses, crowns, fish, etc.) hung on the tree as ornaments.  Not only do they make great conversation starters for non believers.  They’re also great teaching tools about the real meaning of Christmas that we can use with our own children and grand children.

In the second place, what about exchanging gifts?  Questions arise about the commercialism and greed this engenders.  There certainly is a danger of that happening.  But then Satan is an expert in perverting every good thing God gives us.   What is wrong with doing as the Scripture tells us in Acts 20:35, to discover that it is more blessed to give than receive?  Certainly, this is a challenge to Christian parents to train their children to discover the truth of that passage. But Christmas gifts present an ideal opportunity to do precisely that, modeled after the joy of our God in giving Himself for us in the person of His Son.

In addition, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim this practice of gift giving is tied to pagan  occultic practices because the magi who brought gifts to Christ were astrologers.  That’s nonsense.  The magi weren’t “star-gazers” but rather men of great wisdom and insight.  Some have suggested that their insights into the significance of a star and the birth of a King came as a legacy from the teaching of the prophet Daniel when he served in the Persian courts centuries earlier.

In the third place, what about Santa?  Surely we can and ought to dispense with this fairy tale figure, right?  Not so fast.  As you should remember, there is some substance to the traditions surrounding the “real” Santa.  He’s not the same one Charles Dickens popularized in his fictitious story, “Twas the night before Christmas ….”  “Santa Claus” is an anglicized form of the Dutch name, “Sinter Klaas.”  That, in turn, refers to a Christian Bishop of the fourth century known to posterity as Saint Nicholas. 

We have no reason to perpetuate the mythology of a chubby fellow who lives at the North Pole.  But we can remind our children that the real Saint Nick was a Christian who believed in the Lord Jesus as his Savior.  While traditions about him may have been exaggerated over the years, those traditions include the assertions that he was kind and generous toward children and that he was one of the delegates at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. when it ratified the Nicene Creed.

Conclusion

Let’s go back to Romans 14:5,6 once more.  This passage clearly gives us freedom to celebrate Christmas (or Easter, or Pentecost), though not to require that others do so.  Neither may we condemn others in areas where God does not condemn them.  What should drive us is a desire to exalt Christ in all things.  And what a wonderful opportunity we have to do that at the very time of year when people’s hearts are softened by reminders of the gospel all around them in the Christmas music and message.

Many years ago, the magazine “Christianity Today” carried a mini-article that pointed out how so many of the elements of our Christmas celebration can be reminders of the essentials of the gospel.  May this be true for you and for your family this season.

At Christmas time I think of snow … “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”  And a tree … “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”  And lights … “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  Gifts, of course … “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord ….  When He ascended up on high, He gave gifts unto men.”  Singing … “He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.”  Laughter … “Then was our mouth filled with laughter.”  Yes, food and joy and merriment … “Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart.”  And above and beyond all else, love … “To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”  “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

I wish you a snowy, soul cleansing Christmas, a tree that radiates light, one over-arching Gift and many gifts, songs and laughter, food and merriment, and love enough to satisfy you.

Dr. Seuss has given us “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”  And Hollywood’s movie version is now making the rounds again on television.  Are there also ecclesiastical “Grinches” in our churches who are trying to steal Christmas from us?  (Please don’t write back that I’m mean-spirited because I called them “grinches.  It’s only a joke!  Really. Sort of.)

I see three possible views regarding the celebration of Christmas in the church’s life.  Without taking too much time on each, let me briefly scan the field.

Option 1.  We Are Required to Celebrate Christmas

One view would say that we are required to do so.  There’s a sense in which this would seem to be the position of the Roman Catholic Church in its adoption of a mandatory lectionary as well as a liturgical calendar with all of its ecclesiastical seasons.  Since this is imposed on all confirmed Catholics by the Church’s magisterial authority, I presume that they would regard it as a sin not to celebrate Christmas.  (Apparently Scrooge was not a Catholic.)

Option 2.  We Are Forbidden to Celebrate Christmas

A second view would say that we are forbidden to do so.  This would be the position of those who take a very literalistic view of “The Regulative Principle of Worship.”  While all of us Reformed believers hold to that principle, these would apply it more narrowly than most.  Since the Bible nowhere commands the celebration of Christmas (or Easter, or Palm Sunday, or even Mother’s Day), many of these regard such holidays as sinful offenses to God.  No Christmas carols in this camp; at least, not in December. 

Option 3.  We Are Free to Celebrate Christmas

A third view would say that we are free to do so.  More than that, these would feel that we are wise to do so, taking advantage of the opportunity to preach Christ.  This is probably where most of us find ourselves, hopefully by conviction, not by default.  It is the view that I hold and will seek to encourage in this short article.  At the outset, let me say that in holding to this view of freedom, I would never require those who do not wish to celebrate Christmas to do so.  I would hope that they, in turn, would not prohibit me from doing so.

I should mention at the outset that some would feel that my view actually does require those who do not wish to celebrate Christmas to do so.  They would claim that if I as a pastor/preacher lead a worship service that has a Christmas focus, I am requiring people who are present to celebrate Christmas with me.  But if I were to sit in the church of one of my critics, by that same argument he would be requiring me to “celebrate” whatever he has chosen to preach on that day, to observe whatever Biblical event is the focus of the service as he has planned it.  That’s unavoidable.

Here’s how I plan to proceed.  We’ll first look at what I consider to be an adequate basis for celebrating Christmas.  Next, we’ll look at some of the objections that are brought by those who feel it is improper to do so.  Then, we’ll look at several practices associated with Christmas observance which some find objectionable.

1. Why Celebrate Christmas?

My reason for celebrating Christmas is very simple.  The Bible celebrates it.  I know that’s not the same as identifying a particular day or season and giving it the name Christmas.  But Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation, as recorded in Matthew 1.  It is the joyful commemoration of the historic event in which God the Son took on human nature in Luke 2.  It is an opportunity to give praise to the Savior who humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant as described in Philippians 2.

I am a musician as well as a pastor/professor.  As I wrote in a previous blog, it excites me to read the Gospel of Luke and find what appear to be four inspired Christmas carols as part of Luke’s nativity narratives: Zechariah’s “Benedictus,” Mary’s “Magnificat,” the angels’ “Gloria,” and Simeon’s “Nunc Dimittis.”  The uniqueness of these paeans associated with Christ’s birth clearly give legitimacy to the celebratory character of what took place in Bethlehem.  By the way, it also makes me wonder if Luke was not only a journalist and historian and physician, but also a musician, since he alone took note of those “songs.”

In other places of Scripture, God has clearly commanded His people to commemorate redemptive events that have occurred in space and time.  Every time we see a rainbow, we are to remember God’s promise to Noah and his descendants after the flood.  The Passover, as it was transformed into the Lord’s Supper, is a frequent reminder of the broken body and shed blood of our Redeemer.  Altars erected throughout Israel by the patriarchs and seasonal festivals like Tabernacles (yes, I know they’re part of the “old” covenant) were often a way of reminding future generations what God had done at that place or time.

Are these the only things in redemptive history we are permitted to celebrate? Do we need specific commands for each distinct event recorded in the Bible before we’re permitted to celebrate anew their occurrence and significance?  Such authorization would certainly be needed if we were talking about elements of worship.  But that’s not the issue here.  Similarly, is such a pattern of celebrating past events so inherently tied to the Old Testament that it ought to be jettisoned along with Levitical priests and animal sacrifices?  No, I don’t believe so.  This is not a worship issue so much as it is a cultural phenomenon common to people of all ages, a practice in which God delights to see us celebrating what He has done for us?

One way to answer that question is to realize that we are to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).  That means that we will preach about Noah in the ark, Moses in the bulrushes, David in the green pastures, and Daniel in the lion’s den, as well as Jesus in the manger, beside the Jordan, at the temple, on the cross, and on the throne.  I’ll preach about the angels appearing to Mary and then to the shepherds.  I’ll preach about the journey from Nazareth.  I’ll preach about the baby in Bethlehem.  I’ll preach about the gifts of the magi.  I’ll also preach about (and perhaps celebrate) Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, because they’re all in the Bible.

If those who oppose any observance of Christmas are right, then I’m not permitted to preach about those events of Jesus’ nativity during the month of December.  That’s off limits.  Christmas in July … or in April … or in October … but never in December.  The same logic that says I’m not required to preach about Christ’s birth in December also says I’m free to preach about it in December, if I choose to.

And that’s exactly what I choose to do.  Not because it is an ordinance of the church.  That would amount to making man’s traditions and rules equivalent to Scripture, which we are forbidden to do.  But because I deem it a wise and helpful thing to do.  At the very time that so many people in our culture have their minds attuned to Christmas, I want to preach about it to take advantage of the fact that they’re already thinking about it.

You might respond that the thinking of many of these folks is not Christ-centered, but instead focused on reindeer, jolly elves, and sale catalogues at toy and computer stores (aren’t those last two the same?).  Tragically, many of these misdirected people are Christians whose attention is on the commercial aspects of the holiday.  Does that mean that I should not preach about Christ in those circumstances?  Just the opposite is true.  It seems to me that this is the ideal time to preach about the real Christ so as to correct their faulty thinking.

There are already plenty of reasons for non Christians to regard Christians as “weird.”  Central elements of the gospel are legitimate and necessary causes for stumbling to those whose hearts have not been revived.   But what will be the reactions of those outsiders when they hear that we refuse to celebrate the birth of the one we regard as God in the flesh, the birth that changed history, the birth that is the key to our sins being forgiven so that we might receive the gift of eternal life?  Though they won’t agree with us, they can understand why we observe the Sabbath, why we won’t watch some kinds of movies, why we won’t adopt deceitful business practices.  But can they understand why we won’t celebrate the birth of our blessed Savior?  Would this not be creating an unnecessary obstacle to reaching them?

(The next blog will consider reasons why some say we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas, and will also look at the ways we celebrate this sacred holiday.)

A new major motion picture for children opens tomorrow, December 7.  TV ads for “The Golden Compass” make it look like one of the most exciting fantasy adventures of our time.  The computer graphic animation and special effects are superb. The same company that produced Tolkien’s trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” has now brought this more recent trilogy to the big screen.  It bears a striking resemblance to C. S. Lewis’s Narnia tale, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”  Don’t be surprised to hear that children will have flocked to see it this weekend.

But not everyone realizes that the author, Philip Pullman, has written that he (his own word here) “loathes” Lewis’s writings.  And his track record proves that he also loathes C. S. Lewis’s God!  He said the Narnia fantasy is "one of the most ugly and poisonous things I ever read."  Pullman is one of a growing number of modern-day evangelists … evangelists for atheism, that is!  Catholic League president Bill Donohue describes the movie as militant “atheism for kids.”  Someone has said “this is The DaVinci Code for children.” 

All of the well-known Christian cultural analysts have issued strong warnings about it.  That includes Charles Colson (Breakpoint / Prison Fellowship), James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Donald Wildmon (American Family Association), and Al Mohler (Southern Baptist Seminary).  In fact, Mohler has a very well-balanced evaluation in which he encourages Christians not just to throw stones at the movie, but to engage those who see it by helping them to understand its destructive anti-Christian world-and-life-view.  (Check out Mohler’s commentary at http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1065 )

On his commentary, Mohler urges parents to take heed to the warning flags that are being raised.

This is not just any fantasy trilogy or film project.  Philip Pullman has an agenda -- an agenda about as subtle as an army tank.  His agenda is nothing less than to expose what he believes is the tyranny of the Christian faith and the Christian church.  His hatred of the biblical storyline is clear.  He is an atheist whose most important literary project is intended to offer a moral narrative that will reverse the biblical account of the fall and provide a liberating mythology for a new secular age.

In other words, Pullman thinks that what the world needs most is to kill God and get rid of the church (which he calls the “Magisterium” in the novels).  His books (and now this movie) are indoctrination materials to enlist young minds in an army that can rid society of these twin religious evils.  He told an Australian newspaper that he is "saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry (Potter) has said.  My books are about killing God."

“The Golden Compass” is based on the first of three books in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.  The anti-theism (not merely a-theism) in the first book is relatively benign.  But in the second and third books (The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass), these themes become much more prominent.  It shouldn’t surprise parents that children who see the movie will want to read all three books.  And this is exactly what producers and promoters hope. 

As one Christian commentator has written (Tom Gilson, a staffer with Campus Crusade),

And they surely don’t want them to stop at the first book. The second book is entitled The Subtle Knife. That happens to be the name of the one weapon that can kill God. The third book tells us that God is relieved to be killed. He’s a rather pathetic character, tired of all the responsibility, “half-crazed with age and infirmity,” in SparkNotes’ words. He had been rather mixed up about things all along, though. The Satan figure in the trilogy was the one who brought freedom to humans. God—and the dominating, violent, fearful church—fought against this freedom. Pullman cheers for their downfall.

We included a two page bulletin insert about this movie here at Lake Osborne last Sunday morning.  I hope you read over its contents.  It offered a good summary of the plot, including some quotes that reveal the not-so-hidden theme, along with recommendations for how Christian parents should respond.  In case you missed it, here is Al Mohler’s very helpful description.

The entire premise of the trilogy is that Lyra is the child foretold by prophecy who will reverse the curse of the Fall and free humanity from the lie of original sin.  Whereas in Christian theology it is Jesus Christ who reverses the curse through His work of atonement on the Cross, Pullman presents his own theology of sorts in which the Fall is reversed through the defiance of these children.  As Pullman insists, Eve and Adam were right to eat the forbidden fruit and God was a tyrant to forbid them the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The supernatural element of Pullman's story is "Dust," which is seen by the Magisterium as original sin but is presented by Pullman as the essence of life itself.  In The Golden Compass, Lyra is given an "alethiometer" or "golden compass" which is filled with Dust and tells the truth to one qualified to operate it.  Readers are told that a great battle is coming in which forces fighting for human freedom and happiness will confront (and destroy) the Magisterium and God.

In the last volume of the trilogy, a character known as Dr. Mary Malone explains her discovery to Lyra and Will:  "I used to be a nun, you see.  I thought physics could be done to the glory of God, till I saw there wasn't any God at all and that physics was more interesting anyway.  The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all."

Should you go see the movie or read the book to be able to effectively combat its heresies?  Probably not.  You don’t need to view or read pornography to be able to argue against it.  And the money you spend on the movie ticket or the book will only add fuel to those who will interpret those financial profits as qualifying it to be called a “blockbuster.”

Let’s make sure that we Christians are not only known for what we OPPOSE.  Let’s continue getting the message out there about what we PROPOSE.  The message of godless anti-theism is one that enslaves people in a hopeless life of meaningless pursuit of pleasure that ends at the grave.  Our message of Christian theism is the one message that sets people free from guilt and gives meaning for this life and for eternity.

Well, maybe he wasn’t.  But then maybe he was.  There are a number of very unique qualities about this man God used to give us the Gospel of Luke and also the book of Acts (which is really part 2 of his Gospel).  Luke was a physician … he told us about Jesus sweating great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Luke was a highly educated man … his Greek is of a very high literary quality, both in grammar and in vocabulary.  Luke was a careful researcher when it came to history … he interviewed eyewitnesses and accurately identified locations and the titles of government officials.  Luke was a missionary … notice in Acts when the description of Paul’s journeys shifts from “they” to “we.”

But I can’t help but wonder if he wasn’t also a musician.  He is the only one of the four Gospel writers who chose to record the four “nativity carols” sung to celebrate Jesus’ birth.  These Scriptural texts have been set to music many times by some of the greatest composers in the history of sacred music.  They bear the titles of the opening line in the Latin translation. 

There is young Mary’s “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46-55), when she rejoiced in spontaneous song when visiting with Elizabeth, the mother-to-be of John the Baptist. There is Zechariah’s “Benedictus” (Luke 1:68-79), when he was finally able to speak again at the circumcision of his and Elizabeth’s “miracle baby” after nine months of his tongue being silenced for his unbelief.  There is the angels’ “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” (Luke 2: 14), when the sky over the Bethlehem shepherds exploded in heavenly celebration.  And there is aged Simeon’s “Nunc Dimittis” (Luke 2:29-32), when this godly, praying saint was privileged to see the infant Messiah in the temple and gave thanks that he was now ready to die in peace since he could never see anything more wonderful than what he was gazing on at that moment!

Perhaps this is one reason the church has always had a wonderful treasury of Advent and Christmas carols and hymns.  In the Trinity Hymnal, the editor ( J ! ) has included forty one of the best!  They come from countries all around the world, and from all ages of hymnody.  Here are just a few examples, some going back as far as the 4^th century!

   Spain – Of the Father’s Love Begotten

   Latin empire – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

   England – What Child Is This?

   Austria – Silent Night!  Holy Night!

   America – O Little Town of Bethlehem

   France – Angels We Have Heard on High

   Poland – Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

   Germany – From Heaven High I Come to You

The church has always loved to sing about the Savior’s birth.  Maybe we learned it from Luke!

Thanksgiving Day at LOPC was a “giving” day.  Christy Gauger led the effort to provide a nice dinner in the Fellowship Hall for homeless and needy.  A banner in front of the church and flyers distributed on the streets advertised the offer.  Many people contributed, prepared, and prayed.  For those who were not there, this report from Debbye Tate will provide a stirring picture of the event. Truly “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Here’s how Debbye described it.

We had an interesting time feeding the homeless yesterday.  Every single one of them was so grateful for the food.  Most of them were men who obviously had very hard lives.  I could tell they had been living on the streets for some time.  I was really touched by Buddy's kindness to them.  He sat by several of them while they ate and just chatted with them.  We only had 25 people show up (our church is not close enough to Dixie Highway which is where most of them live).  But Buddy made sure to speak to every one of them.  He fetched dessert for them, refilled their iced tea, and just basically laughed with them.  His gentleness and compassion for them pierced my heart.  Buddy is usually shy of strangers, but he was magnanimous yesterday and my heart was filled with love and admiration for him. 

It was my privilege to pile food high on their plates and to thank them for coming. 

Some of them would not make eye contact, but the ones who did had such a look of sadness and pain that I won't soon forget it.  One man, who probably earlier in life could have been an investment banker, was the saddest human being I have ever observed in my life.  He was articulate and very intelligent but just looked utterly beaten down by life.  I was brokenhearted for him and choked down sobs as he stood in front of me with his plate. 

All of the church volunteers were marvelous.  It was an incredible visible display of the grace
and mercy of God.  One woman (Lisa Lennon) waited outside the church doors to speak to the guests as they came and went.  Several of them sat down for lengthy talks with her.  Our senior pastor, Lynn Downing, spoke to several of the men and seemed to be all over the place talking and laughing. 

Caroline and two other teens (Chris Lennon and Mikala Grimmig) played with two little homeless kids.  I was very touched by the mother of the children.  She was Haitian.  Her children were dressed in very shabby clothes.  The three-year-old daughter was clad only in an adult-sized T-shirt and barefoot.  The mother had obviously gone to lengths to make herself presentable.  She was wearing a dress, heels and a necklace.  She seemed very nervous, so Carolyn Kullmar and Betsy Dixon helped her with the children's plates and then sat with them while they ate. 

The kitchen workers functioned as a well-oiled machine -- John & Donna Farley, Vicki Backus, Ellen Pearl, Scott & Dorothy Wilson, Terry & Betty Kennedy (Terry was marvelous with the homeless men, talking and sitting with them), and Deena McCombs. 

Christy Gauger was everywhere and overseeing everything.  She had the vision to do all this and it was a joy to watch her work.  Many church members donated money and food to make this possible. 

Last Sunday’s sermons have created quite a stir here at Lake Osborne.  Lynn’s sermon in the morning was almost shocking to many who listened.  He was clearly very passionate about this, and very earnest in his call for people to sit up straight and listen carefully. 

Not by our design (but by God’s), my Sunday evening sermon had the same title and dealt with the same subject: “spiritual warfare.”  That just “happened” to be the theme of the next chapter in our studies in the book of Daniel.  No coincidence here!

Many have wondered what triggered this “alert.”  Let me give you a little more information here that will help you understand, and also inform the focus of your prayers.  Before doing that, let me point out three very healthy dimensions to this current “alert.”  These will remind us that we need not fear.  God is at work in this and will use this to His advantage.  It’s a time for prayer, not panic.

First, it is a sign of spiritual health that we perceive Satan to be unleashing a strategic attack at the present time.  If we were not making good advances in spiritual health here at LOPC, especially through the “Fan the Flame” revitalization efforts, Satan would direct his troops elsewhere.  He would not feel threatened unless things were going well.  The fact that he’s on the offensive encourages us that we must be doing something right!

Second, it is a sign of spiritual health that this congregation is ready to follow Lynn’s pastoral leadership in this, even though hardly anyone knows the full extent or the specifics of what has caused the alarm bells in his soul to go off.  It’s wonderful to see a congregation that trusts its Pastor, even when they don’t have all the facts.  “Where he leads us, we will follow!”

Third, it’s a sign of spiritual health that so many were willing and able to respond to Lynn’s invitation to meet downstairs after the service to pledge themselves to participating in a series of gatherings with prayer and fasting, to seek God’s power in overcoming and defeating Satan’s recently launched offensive.  We’ll soon have details about how those gatherings will occur.

But now to the issue itself.  What caused Lynn to believe that we are under spiritual attack here at LOPC?  There are several things.  None of these, by themselves, would cause the hair on the back of our neck to stand up.  These sorts of things happen all the time in churches.  It’s part of life in a fallen world, when the church still has fallen people.  But when so many of these suddenly pop up without warning, and all within a space of just a few weeks, Satan’s cover has been “blown.”  There’s more to this than meets the eye! 

As I identify these, listen to this “up-front” warning.  Don’t take these general descriptions as a launching pad from which to initiate your personal investigation to try to figure out what names are involved.  You may know a couple of these situations.  If you do, pray for the people by name.  But be content to focus on the issues, not the personalities.  Here are the situations.

First, there are too many marriages here that are suddenly in danger of falling apart.  And there may be others where the cracks in the foundations haven’t yet appeared in the walls.  When Tara Barthel was here for the women’s retreat, she was shocked at the high percentage of feed-back cards in which women indicated they were very unhappy in their marriages.  When marriages fall apart, not only are hearts broken.  The church is shaken.  And Christ’s honor before the watching world is tarnished.  As Steve Brown would say, “this attack smells like smoke; it comes from the pit of hell.”

Second, there have been a few cases of a negative, critical spirit about little things in the church. Remember that Lynn preached about this on November 4.  The point is that this is not the point!  These are so insignificant compared to the REAL issues that ought to be occupying our attention.  Issues like the salvation of the lost, the defense of doctrines under attack, the protection of the unborn, the moral purity of our teenagers.  There will always be opinions about various things in the life of the church.  But when these opinions become complaints, and when complaints become destructive to the health of the soul, we smell more smoke.

Third, within the youth group there have been some personality issues that could jeopardize the unity and harmony of the group, as well as the welcoming spirit we want to have for unchurched kids who are attracted.  Some of this is easily attributable to what goes on in the emotional development of young people in the teen years.  But Satan can use this to his advantage, if we’re not careful.  And when this is added to the list of other factors, we smell smoke again.

Fourth, since Satan is a liar and the father of lies, it should not be surprising to discover that he sometimes spawns slanderous lies that threaten the reputations, and even careers, of those he has targeted.  He’s tried that here recently.  This is mean and malicious, and does harm not only to those falsely accused, but also to the Gospel and the Savior whose name they bear.  When those are spread anonymously, they are even more vicious.  These cases absolutely reek of smoke!

Fifth, there is a dynamic in which Satan has not yet attacked, but where he could do so, if we’re not careful.  That’s the matter of Lynn’s departure, the interim between pastors, and the acceptance and integration of a new pastor in the future.  Satan has tipped his hand here, too, since we can see that this has been an opportunity for spiritual attack in other churches that have gone through such a transition.  While he’s not done anything here yet in this regard, it’s time for us to make “pre-emptive strikes” and to “shore up our defenses” at this spot in the wall.  It’s a place where he will certainly make an attempt to breach the fortress of the church at some time in the future.  We don’t smell smoke here yet, but we need to keep sniffing the air!

Once again, don’t worry about trying to find names for these cases.  We hope and pray that God will be victorious promptly and permanently, so that the names need never be known.  But focus your prayers in these areas, praying that God would unleash squadrons of angels from the air force of heaven to carry out His will in defeating Satan on the front lines of every battle.

What can you do?  Join with all of us in using the armor God has provided in Ephesians six … the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit … and most importantly prayer.  Be a part of the team of prayer warriors recruited to stand fast over the next few weeks, joining together in the times of prayer and fasting that will be announced within the next few days.

I look forward to reading the comments you post about this.

Larry

Betty and I traded a Tennessee timeshare week for a week in the mountains of Utah this October.  We had enough frequent flyer miles for airline tickets.  After arriving in Salt Lake City, we rented a car and drove five hours north to Yellowstone National Park.  Heaven will have mountains; I’m certain of that!  They were spectacular.

Our three nights at Yellowstone dawned on fresh snow-covered hills, about four inches each night.  It was a wet snow that stuck to all the evergreens.  Driving through the park was breathtaking!  The steam from geysers was even more dramatic in snow.  The buffalo were that much more visible on the white plains.  (And even more so when a herd of forty of these behemoths sauntered along the road within arms’ reach of our car!)

Fall colors were indescribably spectacular.  Bright yellow cottonwoods (similar to aspens), combined with reds, pinks, and greens among other foliage, all made more impressive against the fresh white snow and royal blue sky (after the morning snow clouds passed).

Betty and I have always loved the sights in the mountains … whether it’s Alaska’s towering Denali Range, the Colorado Rockies, California’s Sierra Nevada, Tennessee’s Great Smokies, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, or New York’s Adirondacks.  Who would want to sit around on dirty sand and sweat at the beach while gnats chew at your skin, when you could be enjoying the cool air and breathtaking scenery of mountain vistas?

But something special dawned on me on this trip.  God made all of these mountains primarily for His own pleasure.  He graciously allows us to enjoy them as well, especially when we enjoy them from the perspective of children awestruck at what a Heavenly Father has created.  But we can only enjoy them one-at-a-time.  While in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, we enjoyed them fully … but only those particular mountains at that moment.  We could recall having seen the others in the past, but we could only admire the ones immediately before us.  But God enjoys them all at the same time, for He is fully present at all those locales at the same moment in time.  At this very moment He is gazing on the Smokies and the Adirondacks and the Rockies!

And not only those.  At the same time He is enjoying all of those, He is also enjoying mountain ranges at the bottom of the sea, on the far side of the moon, on Jupiter’s distant planets, and on planetary bodies beyond the range of our most powerful telescopes.  He is right now delighting in the sight of mountains you and I will never see.  He is enjoying all of them at the same time.  And he is enjoying them with a delight that exceeds any pleasure we will ever be capable of experiencing.

But guess what?  He tells me in His word that what He enjoys most of all is pouring His love into my heart, and using me to exalt His name.  Wow!

That’s one of the things I learned about God on our vacation in Utah.  Did you learn something about Him on yours?  I'd love to hear about it.