Christmas Day Thoughts

Any of you who have spent long years in the churches of Christ, as I have, likely have the same background regarding Christmas. Christmas was rarely brought up within the worship or planning of the church. This is due to the intent of our churches to “speak where the Bible speaks” and, as we know, the Bible doesn’t suggest any type of Christmas observance.

But it does record many facts about the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Certainly there are reasons these facts are recorded and it is good for us to occasionally review them.

It is also good to have lessons and discussion on topics that are trending in the world around us. What topic is more on people’s minds this time of year than the different facets of Christmas, both Biblical (I hear the expert is Linus from the Peanuts comic strip) and materialistic (aren’t HD TVs the reason for the season?).

I have said all this to explain how the sermon topics over the last month have been selected. First we dealt with the idea of gifts. Everyone was in the gift planning and buying mode at that time. The Lord instructs us to “desire the higher gifts” so we need to know what those are. Then we dealt with the idea of the name Immanuel, the prophesied name that means “God with us.” God certainly came into the world that night 2014 years ago, but he promised also to “be with you to the end of the age.” Therefore “God with us” (Immanuel) is true today as much as it was then. Last week we dealt with joy. That is a much misunderstood theme of the year-end holidays and therefore a much-needed topic for teaching.

Today’s topic approaches the birth of Christ from a very familiar one, but one that perhaps is not expected on a day like today, that is, on Dec. 25.  The premise of today’s sermon is illustrated by one of the newer Christmas carols, “Who Would Send a Baby?”  When you think of why Jesus came into the world, you have to wonder why he would come the way he did.

What’s that? You don’t know why I would say such a thing? Have you read Jesus’ words in Luke 19:10? “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” How was a baby expected to carry out such a mission? Well, that’s where we are starting this morning as a sermon subject. Why not come along and hear the rest of the story? We hope to see you at the Brentwood Church of Christ building at the corner of Walnut and Balfour in Brentwood CA. Our worship assembly begins at 10:45 a.m.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

    “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” We are all familiar with the song and we know that most people agree: the year-ending holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year!

    But you might be one of the folks for which it is not true. Perhaps this is due to other, negative anniversaries falling during this time. Perhaps you are affected by disappointments of past Christmases. Perhaps current events overshadow the happiness that otherwise would surround you.

    If this is you, please don’t worry. We all need to realize that life goes on. The same thing will be true of birthdays, graduations, etc. The fact that a holiday or other event arrives does not magically remove daily needs, negative memories, or all the miscommunication that sometimes occurs. With the faster pace of life today, these things are more and more left unattended. True communication is assumed rather than given time to develop. Important feelings and necessary meditations have been suppressed by time constraints. These misunderstandings and frustrations are likely to pop up to ruin what we hope would be a festive time.

    What to do? We certainly don’t like it this way! But it may be that this season is for dealing with that other priority so that, come spring, or some holiday, or some anniversary in 2012, we will be able to join in the festivities without putting on a false front. How can we deal with an absence of holiday cheer? There are so many different reasons for its absence that we could never list all the ways we might deal with it, but here are a few:

• Maybe you need to take the emphasis off gift spending so you can instead focus on why you buy the gifts. You might discover that someone else’s expectation is driving you rather than your own true wishes. You might realize that there is a much better way to show the love and appreciation that you thought you were showing with a purchased gift.
• Maybe you need to stop building up expectations of what others will do and accept that family member for who and what they are. You may be unable to know what frustrations or other obstacles prevent them from reaching the expectations you have created in your mind.
• Maybe you need to let past losses be a part of today’s joys; remember the traditions, recreate (with realistic expectations) the experiences for others, accomplish today the things that person would have done in the past (if you don’t have their skills, substitute another worthy activity in their memory/honor).

    As I already wrote, these are just examples of what some people might need to do to get past holiday doldrums. Hopefully it will get you thinking about your situation and you will be able to enjoy what is good in your life right now without any gloom from Christmases past, present, or yet to come.

And a Girl Will Lead Them – Sarah Learns About Following God

And a Girl Will Lead Them – Sarah Learns About Following God.

A three-act play by John Gaines

I can’t stand him!

But God replies:                                                                          Romans 12:14-21

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Live in harmony with one another.

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.

Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.¹ On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”²

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

¹Deut. 32:35     ²Prov. 25:21,22

 

You Knew That!

The words stung. The nobleman in Jesus’ parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11-27) berated his foolish steward. He had given a direct order: conduct my business while I am gone. But the steward decided he knew better. It would be better to play it safe. Why risk his master’s money? He thought, “He is a hard man. He can even turn a profit where he has no investment. I must be absolutely sure I can return this safely to him.” But he had interpreted his master incorrectly.

And the worst part was, he knew better! Instead of interpreting and devising his own plan, he should have simply followed the direct order: “Engage in business until I come” (ESV). (Other versions say, “Trade herewith;” “Occupy;” “Put this money to work.”) The steward KNEW that his master expected gain; but he instead followed his own plan.

We easily can know what Jesus expects. His own words and the instructions passed through his apostles are readily available in the scriptures. Let this parable motivate us to take what we know and put it into practice. Don’t allow it to be a treasure hidden away “for safe keeping.” Make it a resource used to accomplish God’s revealed will in this world. He is expecting results!

The Church Christ Envisioned

“This church (the local church that each Christian should join) must look like the one that Jesus envisioned when he built the church.” (Howard Norton, longtime missionary in Brazil, in The Christian Chronicle, August 2011, available here) This quote led me to think of the following:

That is our plan. To build, be, develop, grow and belong to the church Jesus envisioned. That is one of the reasons we choose the name Church of Christ. That is why we base every decision on what Jesus and his apostles said and wrote.

And, since we base our practices completely on what is written in scripture, we have some practices that differ with the majority of churches. The conviction to follow the Bible only, completely, and absolutely has led us to teach adult baptism as opposed to baptizing infants, a capella music for worship as opposed to any mechanical instruments, and congregational autonomy as opposed to organization in synods, dioceses, etc.

We look strange to some, but the church looked strange to those who saw her first built, too. The breakaway from Old Covenant ritual and the avoidance of societal habits estranged the early Christians from other religious folks. Note that Peter called them strangers, foreigners, aliens (1 Peter 1:1, 2:11).

Not that we are different just for the sake of being different. But because we do not allow the world around us to change our allegiance to what the Bible dictates, we will continue to look strange. Let’s just make every effort to have that look mirror the vision Christ had when he built his church.

I thought so…

I was certain it would happen, but research now proves it. The number of adults nationwide that tithe to churches and charitable organizations has dropped from around 6% during the previous decade to 4% during the current economic situation [The Barna Group: "Donors Proceed with Caution, Tithing Declines"].

I am not at all concerned with the facts expressed earlier in that same article–that the amount of giving has declined. If people are making less, it stands to reason they would give less. But I am concerned that anyone who has decided to tithe would stop doing so for any reason. Even if your income is cut in half, you can still give 10% of that half. (For the uninitiated, that is what tithe means: 10%.)

What is most disheartening is that many who have stopped tithing have NOT had a setback in income. They have stopped tithing because of uncertainty about their future. That is one of the greatest of the blessings of knowing God–we don’t have to worry about the future! As the apostle Paul wrote, it matters not whether it is a time of plenty or poverty, I can be content; I have learned the secret of facing any situation: live life through Christ, the one who strengthens me! (Paraphrased from Philippians 4:11-13.)

You decided to tithe… or perhaps you use some other percentage… you decided it because you felt a need to thank, honor, or work with God; you felt blessed by him and needed to respond. Though things look bleak in the world, we are still blessed by God; we still receive what we receive by his grace. We also have an assurance that he will help us through whatever we face in the future, finally bringing us to our eternal home with him. Let’s continue to “give as we have been prospered” (First Corinthians 16:2, Second Corinthians 8:12) and not hold back because of a worldly fear.

May God bless you all,
Gary

Upcoming Event

 

A wonderful opportunity for West Coast members of the churches of Christ to be rejuvenated

In the beautiful Monterey Bay setting

March 31 to April 2

Details at RechargeMe.org

Change of Plans

    This Sunday morning, I will be presenting a lesson based on Jesus’ statement, “You must be born again.” It is part of a series of lessons based on Jesus’ teachings.

    I had not planned this as part of this series because I recently presented a similar lesson as part of a series on Bible characters (Nicodemus). But I saw a bumper sticker this week: “I was born right the first time.” That led me to ask myself, “What about that term, born again, caused someone to create that bumper sticker?”

    Doing some research about the bumper sticker and those that would promote it, I ran across some thoughts that were disturbing. They weren’t disturbing because they promoted atheism. That is what I expected. They were disturbing because they were correct!

    Here is one particular statement that caught my attention: “Religion, as always, makes the world less safe.”* I believe that statement is true. But I also believe that being born again has a great impact on the potential danger. When you hear the lesson Sunday morning (11/7/2010) you will see what I mean.

    You will also see why this lesson does fit in this series. It’s a review of Jesus’ statements that often are misapplied in our society. For each lesson I ask, “What was Jesus really trying to say here that we may have missed?” In this case, it’s easy to see that we are only in the kingdom when we have made a conscious choice to be there, when we have gone to the trouble of being born again. But we may not have realized why Jesus used that specific term in that context.

    Let’s talk about what he really meant. See you Sunday!

Gary Greene

*http://www.thehappyheretic.com/ as viewed on 11/2/2010

Selecting the Right One for the Job

    Often employers will leave a position unfilled for a lengthy period of time while looking for just the right person. We have several positions coming open in our state and local governments in a few weeks. In many cases, it appears there is NO qualified person for the job.

    Oh, there are hoards that meet the basic requirements. But we aren’t just looking for a warm body to fill a spot. We need leadership skills, fiscal know-how, and realistic goals with an unrestrained vision. Some of the positions require God-like qualities of tolerance, compassion, and dedication. It takes near superhuman wisdom to remain true to stated beliefs about government while at the same time showing compassion for those affected by factors beyond that government’s control AND being able to work with those who believe opposite (several versions of the opposite, at that).

    While we are looking for such people for these important positions, time marches on. But wait…there is a law that says we must choose that person by Nov. 2! How in the world are we going to do this? It appears we must, once again, choose between the lesser to two evils.

    Pray hard!

Gary Greene