Continuing to Celebrate the Joy of Christmas

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

So, traditional western Christmas Day is past.  The candlelight services are completed.  The presents are opened.  Most family meals and celebrations are eaten, and we know we ate a little (or a lot) too much.  What happens now?

 

When do you take down the Christmas tree?  When do you take down the manger scenes?  When do the decorations get put back in the boxes and stored in the crawl space or the attic?  In some ways it is almost like there is peace and joy while the holiday is here, but then it vanishes until December 25 rolls around next year.

 

Let me share with you a number of ways that God’s people have continued to celebrate His Christmas love throughout the years, even after the dates of celebration have passed.  Because, you see, God’s love and blessings are forever!

 

Do you know about the Jewish festival called, “Purim?”  This celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people living in the Persian kingdom during the Babylonian exile.  The evil ruler Haman was going to have all the Jews killed, because Haman hated Mordecai.  But, by the grace of God, with the help of Mordecai’s niece, Queen Esther, Haman was foiled and the Jews were saved and blessed.  This was such a significant event that in Esther 9 the Jews were given the following instructions concerning the celebration of this deliverance by God. 

 

“21 . . . have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar  22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the       month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of     celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and      giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.”

 

It has always struck me that this Old Testament celebration in many ways sounds like our present day Christmas.  Purim included feasting and joy and presents of food, and gifts to the poor.  And, notice this was an annual celebration.  The annual celebration reminded the Jews, and God’s people today, that even when the days of feasting ended, the love and blessings of God continue.  (By the way, in 2016 the Jewish celebration of Purim begins on March 22.)

 

Or, maybe you have heard the song called, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”  Actually, this is a song that was written by Christians to celebrate Christmas when there was persecution in England centuries ago.  But, why twelve days?  Christians have always included the account of the Magi as part of the Christmas story, even though we are told Jesus and his parents were no longer at the manger, but now living in a house at this time.  (Matthew 2:11)  The traditional day for celebrating the arrival of the Magi is January 6.  If you count from Christmas Day through January 6 you’ll find there are 12 days.  In other words, the blessings of Christmas are not just given to us by God on just one day.  In fact, the good news of Christmas, that God is with us and forgives us and saves us in His Son, are eternal blessings worth celebrating throughout our lives.

 

In Hebrews 2 we have a different kind of sharing of the blessings of Christmas.  “14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”  (Hebrews 2:14-15)  All our lives we struggle against the temptation and power of the devil.  How appropriate that we continue to celebrate that Jesus destroyed the power of our enemy when he shared in our humanity. 

 

So, the candlelight services are completed.  The presents are opened.  Most family meals and celebrations are eaten.  BUT, the Christmas blessings of God continue.  God IS with us in and through Jesus!  May you continue to live in the peace and joy and eternal life God gave that first Christmas, and continues to give to us throughout eternity!

 

A Child of God, Thankful for the on-going blessings of the Christ-child!

Pastor Jonathan

 

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P.S.  Here is a picture from an ice fishing ADVENTURE!  The lens was foggy, but he smiles are real.  A story will follow later!   https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/IceFishingWinter20152016#6231208772976097074

 

 

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am regularly adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.

 

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Good News! Great Joy!!

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

Do you remember your excitement as a child as you awaited Christmas Day?  My excitement would grow for a month.  I had trouble going to sleep on Christmas Eve.  But then on Christmas Day joy exploded with presents, and family, and worship, and food.  We were celebrating the birth of Jesus!  Some things are truly worth celebrating.  Good News!  Great Joy!!

 

The best good news ever was delivered on that first Christmas Eve.  God sent a vast army of angels to common shepherds working the night shift in the fields.  Jesus, the Son of God, the Promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, had been born!  Imagine the night sky lit up with God’s angels!  Imagine those first Christmas carols being sung by that vast choir!  But, perhaps the greatest reason for rejoicing was the message of the angel to the shepherd. 

 

10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:10-11)

 

To common people in a world lost in its own sin God sent the One who would save all people from sin and death.  No wonder the angels came and sang.  Some things are truly worth celebrating.  Good News!  Great Joy!!

 

I know that not everyone has great memories of Christmas from their childhood.  Not everyone today experiences the peace and joy and love that God intended that first Christmas.  Many even doubt that the Christmas event is real.  But Jesus was born and the words of the angel are true.  “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  Good News!  Great Joy!!

 

Let me share with you a story of God’s Christmas love in our midst this Christmas.  In fact, I was asked to share this story with you.

 

Perhaps you remember that on July 12 David Neslund and his 5 year old son, Leif, were baptized at St. John.  Maybe you didn’t know that 8 days later, as oil prices continued to drop, David lost his job along with others at his place of work.  Three days after that, while trying to finish a home project, David dropped a trailer on his big toe and crushed it.  Later the toe was partially amputated.  But, David now says he believes all this happened so that he would be home for the greater trial and adventure to come.  David and Kristine were expecting, and on August 31, baby Bjorn was born . . . at 23 weeks, 2 days of gestation!  Bjorn’s due date was Christmas day.  But, on August 31 Bjorn was born weighing only 1 lb., 7 oz.!

 

This past Thursday, December 17, after David and I had talked on the phone, I received this following text from him:

            “Greetings again – I talked with Kristine, PLEASE share this with the congregation.  Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, my second son is coming home.  God be praised!”

On Thursday Bjorn weighed 5 lb., 14 oz., more than four times his birth weight!  St. John and many, many, others have brought many prayers for Bjorn and family to the Father of Compassion and the God of all Comfort!  Christmas Eve or Christmas  Day?!  Good news – Great joy!  God is GOOD!!!!!!!!

 

Some things are truly worth celebrating.  And, the best news ever delivered came from the angel that first Christmas.  This good news is true for ALL people!  “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  Good News!  Great Joy!!   God IS gracious and good and loving!

 

God’s Christmas Blessings to each of you!

 

A Child of God, Rejoicing in the Christmas Love of God,

Pastor Jonathan

 

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P.S.  You may hear about Bjorn’s good news again this Christmas.  But, my heart is overflowing with joy at God’s love and I was asked to share, and wanted to share!  Good News!  Great Joy!!

 

P.P.S.  Here are two ice fishing pictures from December 14.  Thank you Kathy for taking these pictures.  We fished in a non-stocked lake, so the limit is 2 fish a person. https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/IceFishingWinter20152016#6229135184245668418

 And https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/IceFishingWinter20152016#6229135244629512114

 

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am regularly adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.

 

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"Prepare the Way for . . . THE LORD"

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

When I was pastor in Florida our family would celebrate Christmas Eve with our congregation in Jacksonville and then we would drive to Gainesville where my parents lived.  My mom and dad’s five children and the grandchildren would all gather at their home for the Christmas meal, for exchanging gifts, and for some down time and holiday time together.  As I watched her, my mother never seemed happier than when she had all her children and grandchildren in her home.

 

But, having the family at her home took a lot of preparation by my parents.  In addition to buying the food, and decorating the house, my mom would get all the bedrooms prepared for the out-of-town family.  She used to rearrange the furniture, make room for all the kids, and make the beds.  Kathy and I would sleep in 2 single beds that my mom tied together with a piece of yarn.  That was her special touch, along with a little humor.  But, her preparation for loved ones at Christmas time took a lot of effort and time.

 

You know that Christmas is fast approaching.  Are you ready?    I have two suggestions to help you with your preparation.

 

First, let me take a lesson from my parents to listen to God’s instructions about preparing.  For my mom, preparing for Christmas was preparing for loved ones.  God sent John the Baptist to share the words first spoken by Isaiah.  “Prepare the way of the Lord.”  (Luke 3:4)  Preparing for Christmas is not really about preparing for a holiday or for an occasion.  Preparing for Christmas is about preparing for the one who loves us the most.  We are preparing for the birth of our Lord and Savior.  We are preparing for Jesus, the Son of God himself.

 

In that Luke 3 passage John tells the people of his day that this preparation happens when the hills are made low and the crooked roads are straightened.  We prepare for Jesus to come to us when we lower ourselves and straighten crooked roads in our lives.  When we admit our sin and failure and when seek to turn away from our sin, we are lowering the hills of pride and selfishness and straightening the crooked ways of sin.  And, when we know our sin, we know how very much we need a Savior.  When we know our need for a Savior we are less likely to trust ourselves and more ready to trust the one who came to earth for us, who died for us, and who rose again.  God is calling us to prepare our hearts to receive Him in repentance and faith.

 

Martin Luther said this better, however, in a Christmas hymn he wrote, “From Heaven Above.”

         Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,

Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

A quiet chamber set apart

For You to dwell within my heart.

 

Secondly, as we seek to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus, please consider a verse from the Psalms.  "Be still, and know that I am God;"  (Psalm 46:10)  To prepare for Jesus to come to us, it is good to “be still”, to take time alone for you and God.  Be still and consider God’s grace, that He loves us in spite of our rebellion.  Take quiet time and meditate on the wonder of Christmas, that God became man.  Set time aside to bask in the miracle that the Lord and Creator of all, the One and Only, knows and loves each one of us and has come to save us.  Spending more time shopping or decorating doesn’t prepare our hearts for God.  But, time in worship, time in prayer, time reading the Scriptures, time with our Lord prepares a place in our heart for Him to come to us. 

 

For years my mom prepared her home for our Christmas visit.  Her preparation showed us how much she loved us.  Our Alaska family will gather in our home this Christmas, and it will be one of the happiest times of the year for my wife, Kathy, and I.  But, ultimately, Christmas is about Jesus coming to us, and we want to receive Him in repentance, in faith, in love.  “Prepare the way for the Lord.”

 

A Child of God, Preparing my heart for JESUS this Advent,

Pastor Jonathan

 

P.S.  Here is a picture after the first day of ice fishing this winter - https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/IceFishingWinter20152016

 

P.P.S.  Kathy posted this picture of our family on Facebook.  This was from 1983.  Who is that guy with hair???? You can also look at the other pictures in this album. https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/FamilyChristmas#6227121161771775650

 

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am regularly adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.

 

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Looking for Jesus in a World of Terrorism

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

I saw a front page headlines for the New York Daily News this week that read, “God Isn’t Fixing This – 14 dead in California Mass Shooting.”  As you probably know this headline is pointing to the deadly shooting attack this week by a husband and wife in San Bernadino, CA.  Reports are pointing to motives of terrorism for the couple who did the shooting.  Doesn’t it seem that we are just recovering from attacks in Paris?!

 

Our world is a place of sin and violence, and the situation does not appear to be getting any better.  Maybe we can at least understand the feelings of a headline writer who wonders why God might allow terrorism and violence to continue, to hurt innocent people, and affect our lives.

 

But, truthfully, the violence of today is nothing new.  Jesus came into a world where the ultimate punishment was crucifixion, days of torture leading to death on a cross.  Jesus came to a world where armies would lay siege to cities and bring them to surrender through destruction and starvation.  Jesus came to a world where innocent children were killed by the government, because in a couple of decades they might have posed a potential threat to the king’s claim to power.

 

In a devotion I read this week by seminary president, Dr. Dale Meyer, he quotes the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament which says, “The origin of evil in man is wrapped in impenetrable obscurity.  Evil reaches right down into the hidden roots of our existence.” So Dale continues, “Government can curb evil but evil remains in ‘the hidden roots of our existence.’”

 

So, when our local community faces drug incited crime, when our country suffers from corruption in government, and when our world is afflicted by terrorism, in many ways it is the same old story.

 

However, when the newspaper headline says, “God Isn’t Fixing This”, the headline is wrong.  We can accurately say that government policies are not fixing the problem.  We can say that all the best intentioned efforts of our world, are not getting rid of our problems.  We can say that wishing things were better is not fixing our problems.  But, and this is a BIG ‘BUT,’ the truth is God has done something about the crime and corruption and violence and sin in the world.  God sent Jesus into the world to save people from sin so that we may pursue lives of faith and love in this world, and so that by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, we receive eternal life in heaven. 

 

The assigned Gospel reading for worship this Sunday is from Luke 3 and tells about John the Baptist calling the people of His time to repentance.  John tells the people of His time, “9 The ax is already at the root of the trees . . .”  The sin of even religious people is so deep that punishment is bound to come. 

 

But, punishment only confronts evil, it does not overcome the evil.  So, John goes on to say, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”  That is why God takes the unthinkable step of sending His Son from the glory of heaven, to the pain of the earth.  God takes the unthinkable step of letting His eternal Son die to take on Himself the punishment for the sins of people who cannot overcome them.  And, God accomplishes the amazing victory of defeating sin and death when Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.

 

God has done something to fix the crime and violence and terrorism in this world.  God sends Jesus.  As we live in a world broken by sin, every day we look to find Jesus in the middle of the mess of this world, and He is there.  Jesus is there forgiving.  Jesus is there strengthening.  Jesus is in our lives comforting and guiding.  Jesus is here changing hearts and saving people for eternal life in heaven.  We can miss Him because of this world’s trials.  But we look, and He is there.

 

The headline may respond to a terrorist attack by saying “God Isn’t Fixing This.”  But, God has fixed it for eternity by sending Jesus, and we see God’s love every day in our lives.

 

A Child of God, Looking to See Jesus in this World of Sin and Violence

Pastor Jonathan

 

P.S.  At Confirmation this past Wednesday students made Christmas stockings to share with children in need.  Here is a link to the first day of making stockings.  https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/ChristmasStockingsAtConfirmationClass1222015

 

 

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am regularly adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.

 

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