Praying ROM 15:13- ACTS- Adoration

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

For the longest time, I had the hardest time figuring out how to adore God (adoration is the A in ACTS). Basically its just to praise God. As a matter of fact, singing is a great way to do this. If you desperately need God, try praising Him. It reminds you of who and what He is. When you tell Him what's great about Him, you build your faith in Him because you remind yourself why He's worthy to be praised- this brings comfort and confidence. Wow- THE God of the universe loves me.

Christian author Rick Warren wrote that worship is one of the five purposes God created and designed us for. Genesis says we're "created in God's image," I've always figured that part of what that means is that we reflect His character. He IS hope. He IS joy. He IS peace, and 1 John 4:16 even says God IS love.

So let's take a minute to tell Him how great that is!

Lord, 

You are the God of all hope-

You give us Hope- those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31)

To be with You brings us joy-

You give us Joy- the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

You're the Prince of peace-

You give us Peace- Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. ( Isaiah 26:12)

You are love-

You love us, show us how to love others, and give us others to love- Your love endures forever (Psalm 136)

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

Praying ROM 15:13- HOPE

May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

In my darkest hours, I've asked God to make me a prisoner of hope. Philosophy professor and author Cornel West once wrote "I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope."

There are some circumstances that defy optimism. Age, disease, life. God doesn't prevent death, but He does offer eternal life in Heaven with Him. He doesn't prevent hardship or loss, but He does promise to get us through it.

I remind myself that no matter what my circumstances, God is with me and will get me through whatever it is I have to face.

As Christians, we are "called to hope" (Ephesians 4:4). While explaining the Spiritual 'Armor of God' in Ephesians 6:17, Paul says to put on the helmet of hope-in-salvation. If you keep in mind the ultimate hope we have of eternal life with God, thanks to the free gift of salvation through the sacrifice made by His Son Jesus on the cross- if you "fix your eyes upon Jesus," no matter how dark and ugly your present is, your future remains bright.

Praying ROM 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

I used to like to write Advent devotions here on PPP. The last few years have just gotten to be too crazy-busy to make that work. Each of the candles on an Advent wreath represents a different virtue. There's the Prophet's candle of Hope, the Bethlehem candle of Peace, the Angel's candle of Love and the Shepherd's candle of Joy.

This past Advent, I'd been praying Romans 15:13 a lot. Mostly for myself, due to all the stress, depression and anxiety I'd been struggling with. But also for others. I genuinely wanted to share God's hope, peace, and joy with others whom I perceived really needed them.

In past Advent posts here, I've tried to explain or expound on each of these gifts. This time, I think I'd like to mash this list up with another list- the ACTS formula of praying (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication). 

We'll see how that goes, (if it goes for that matter, tomorrow's the first day of a new semester). Tonight, though, I just want to share something about just one of these four; which one is most important.

When my wife and I taught at Los Angeles Lutheran High, we coached cheerleading. For a while she coached Varsity and I coached Junior High. Eventually, I coached both toward the end. Of course LHS had a fight song that cheerleaders danced to at pep rallies, but we also had a school song, an slower anthem. The tradition at LA was for kids to gather at the end of football games, point one arm to heaven and join in the song.

I don't remember all of the lyrics, but one line sticks with me- "may faith be ever more thy fame and love be thy rule."

For some Christians,  our religion is all about all kinds of rules. Believe this, don't believe that, do this, don't you DARE do that. It leads to a lot of fear and judgement, misunderstanding and competition. For my money the whole Bible boils down to one rule. This is what Jesus said-

John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love oneanother. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So assuming I write at least four more posts in the next week or so about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, keep in mind what Saint Paul wrote-

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Lutheran High's School Song would make a pretty good mission statement, and for that matter, a pretty good epitaph for one's tombstone- I certainly want it to be true for this blog: May faith be ever more my fame, and love be my RULE.

This Advent, may HOPE take you prisoner.

Isaiah 2

New International Version (NIV)

The Mountain of the Lord

2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Last Sunday's Old Testament lesson (above) was a wonderful reminder for me. Isaiah gave us an image of Heaven, where man "ain't gonna study war no more." 

Keep your eye on the prize, look past and through the darkness at the light at the end of the tunnel. Discouraged? Depressed? Frightened? Stressed? Look past your present circumstances and remember that whatever your're going through, it won't last forever.

If we put on the helmet of hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8 & Ephesians 6:17), God's hope will protect our heads- God will guard our minds (Philippians 4:7).

Lets face it, the holiday seasons can be stressful; work, family, finances. So guess what, maybe instead of focusing on everything you have to try to get done and who you think you have to please and how you're going to afford it- focus on Jesus. What a gift! The creator of the whole universe gave His only begotten son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we too can be His beloved children! 

When you keep that love in mind, it puts things in perspective. That perspective has given me a new motto:

“I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope.” - Prof. Cornel West

And this is why I have been praying this verse so much for myself and for others-  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." -Romans 15:13

Psalm 33:20-22

New Living Translation (NLT)

20 We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
    for our hope is in you alone.

Time for a Cease-Fire in the so-called 'War on Christmas'

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, -1 Peter 3:15

Why do some Christians become so hostile, defensive,angry, indignant, even downright belligerent about making sure to "keep Christ in CHRISTmas?"

If you truly believe that He is who He claims to be, then He certainly doesn't need mere humans to stand up for Him. God doesn't need us to fight for Him. And the truth is always able to stand by itself.

Instead, we should consider His example. Consider Philippians 2:3-8

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature] of a servant,being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himselfby becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Jesus didn't come down like Thor with a hammer and lightning and shout "Hey, look at ME!" Instead, He came as a frail, fragile, humble, poor, baby in a livestock feed-bunk.

 

Being sensitive to the cultures, traditions and feelings of others doesn't mean you're condoning apostasy. Being a Christian does not mean being territorial about His "birthday." So Jews, Pagans, Hindus, and Secularists all have festivals of light coincidentally this same time of year? So does materialistic consumer-capitalism, if you haven't noticed.

Originally being "Christian" meant being little-Christs, literally His imitators. How are we imitating Him when we are bullying others into silence and submission or whining about being allegedly victimized by the rest of the society? We are the mainstream majority here in the United States. There are certainly places where Christians face persecution and marginalization (Syria, Egypt, Nigeria) but the U.S. isn't one of them.

Back to 1 Peter 5, verse 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats do not be frightened.” and verses 17 & 18- For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

If we truly believe in Jesus, and want to be like Him, rather than DEMANDING that others honor Him, we will be ready, willing, and able to put up with whatever persecution might come. Both for His sake, and for the sake of those who would do us harm. Because that's exactly what Jesus did, He suffered and even died for the sake of those who hate Him.

It seems to me that all this getting prickly about this being a season just for Christ and Christians isn't very Christ-like. If anything it's pretty typically human. Sinful, selfish, short-sighted, human. 

ADVENT; Promised through Prophets

Jeremiah 33:14-16
New International Version (NIV)
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.“‘In those days and at that time    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
    he will do what is just and right in the land.In those days Judah will be saved    and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

'Prophet, Priest, and Pirate' is the name of this blog. Jesus is out prophet (John 12:50), our high priest (Heb.4:14-16), and our king (John 18:36). He calls us all (John 20:21), if we follow Him to also be prophets (Joel 2:28-29) in the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:4-9) and heirs and participants in His kingdom (1 John 3:1-3).

The first candle on the Advent wreath is the Prophets' candle. One thing that followers of this blog may know bugs the heck outta me is that Americans seem to think that prophets magically predict the future. That's not prophecy, its divination, which God strictly prohibits in Leviticus 19:26. Seeking out signs and omens to predict the future is a sin because God wants us to trust Him and know that He will be with us in the future and take care of us.

Prophecy, on the other hand, is delivering God's Word, His message. Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, Joel, Malachi, Micah, and Zechariah- they all announced and declared the coming messiah- not by divination, but because God gave them His promise, and they repeated them.

When we share that God promises to love us, and He sent his Son Jesus as a sacrifice for us, to save us, forgive us, and stay with us, we are being prophets.

ADVENT; Step Into Christmas

Advent means “coming.” It is a season when we prepare for Jesus’ arrival. There are five candles in an advent wreath. 3 purple or blue, and one pink, and one white. Purple symbolizes both His royalty and our repentance.

As with every year, my hope is to post some Advent meditations on ye ole Pirate blog here- but as usual, my December is looking mighty busy so I'm not making any promises, just plans.
I'm thinking they may need to be shorter than is my habit (long winded/long worded) and my hope is to  post them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (as opposed to Sun-Sat.). Wish me luck.

Here is a brief refresher on the color and symbolism of the traditional Advent wreath.

• An Advent wreath is a circle, which has no beginning and no end. Pine is used because it is "evergreen," also representing eternal life. However, the wreath is also foreshadowing of Christ's passion. Pine needles and/or holly leaves represent the crown of thorns and holly berries and/or poinsettia flowers represent the blood He shed on the cross.
• The first violet candle is the “Prophets candle” and symbolizes the hope that Old Testament Jews had that a Messiah would one day come.
• The second violet candle is the “Bethlehem” candle and represents the peace that the new God/Man savior would bring, ending the long spiritual rift between God and mankind.
• The pink candle is the “Angels’” candle (or in some traditions, the “Mary” candle) it symbolizes the joy of Heaven that a Savior was finally to be born.
• The last violet candle is the “Shepherds’” candle and represents the love or adoration of those ready to accept the gift of the Christ child.
• The large white candle  in the center, often lit on Christmas or Christmas Eve is the “Christ Candle” and represents Jesus as the “Light of the world,” or the Epiphany, God on Earth.

Advent; Hope, Peace, Joy, & Love

Every year, I try to write some posts here that could sort of almost be considered Advent Devotions. Some are too short to qualify, most are actually way too long to qualify. As with most posts on this here blog, many are peppered with humor, sarcasm, and a progressive political slant. They're more sporadic than regular and consistent, so if you're looking for something to edify you daily, this ain't the place, but if maybe once a week or occasionally more interests you- then watch this space over the course of the next 40 days or so, and sure as the seas, you'll get yer fill of pre-Christmas reading.

War on Christmas? Bah-Humbug!Advent Week 1; Hope

There’s a lot of debate lately about “keeping Christ in Christmas.” Some people are dead set against saying “Happy Holidays,” instead of “Merry Christmas,” because they think “Happy Holidays” is too politically correct. The irony is that people started saying “Happy Holidays” in order to avoid offending people, but now, all kinds of people are terribly offended when you do say it.

I say there is no "War on Christmas." I think it's just one more excuse for the right-wing media to whip up a frenzy of fear, hate and intolerance, encouraging privileged and comfortable White, Christian, Americans to imagine they're being victimized by the America-hating, godless, multicultural, Socialist boogiemen.

I loved one Christian editorial writer’s point of view. He actually thought that we SHOULD take Jesus out of Christmas, because Christmas has become a shameless exercise in materialism and commercialism. This writer thought that we should just let it be the shallow, selfish thing-fest that it has become and make Easter more Spiritual, and focus on Jesus’ birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection all in the Spring. His point was that it was sacrilegious how blatantly we exploit Jesus’ birth in December.

That may be a little culturally extreme. I’d rather just wish people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays interchangeably and not worry about who’s offended or who’s not. Why apologize for a good thing? Just because you don’t believe in a good thing, that doesn’t make it a bad thing.

I’m sure that if you shared any of the following greetings, someone, somewhere would probably be offended; Congratulations on your new baby. Way to go on passing that exam! How d’ya like your new car? I’m so relieved that you’re feeling better.

Before I get too into my typical history lesson, may I just suggest that we neither apologize for wishing others a sincerely felt "Merry Christmas," not have a cow and get our panties in a bunch about people who'd prefer to wish us a "Happy Holidays" or a "Season's Greetings." It's NOT a war, people. Jesus loves EVERYONE. He came to die and rise again to save EVERYONE. They may decline or even reject this free gift, just as He isn't going to force Himself on anyone, He doesn't need us running around like Christmas Commandos defending Him and enforcing some strict law about recognizing His birthday.

Before you scoff and write me off as just some misguided liberal, consider what God says in the Bible:

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."1 Peter 3:14-16

Keep Christ(mas) in your heart and always be ready to share why you have hope. Remember that old Sunday School song, "they will know we are Christians by our love?" Getting all ticked-off and paranoid about how unchristian society can be is not hopeful, loving, gentle or respectful.

I've had friends that are Jewish, Hindu, pagan, unchurched, agnostic, atheist, Mormon, and Christian of all different denominations. Do I wish they knew Jesus like I do? A loving God of grace, peace, and mercy? Absolutely just like 1 Timothy 2:1-4, I "want all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." But I won't convince them to love and trust Him by deliberately provoking, belittling or bullying them. 

Demanding that they simply assimilate to our dominate culture is not what Jesus would do. He showed humility and deference to us by leaving His kingship and being born in a stable and allowing Himself to be subjected to unjust persecution, even death on a cross. 

You may disagree with me, but personally, I think that getting so worked up about hearing "Happy Holidays" or seeing signs that say "Merry X-Mas" doesn't show loyalty to Jesus, it shows insecurity and a clear lack of the gentleness and respect that God calls for in 1 Peter. 

Dear Jesus,

Make the hope we have from You in our hearts so real and so strong that we don't get defensive or offended when others don't share it. May our hope in You attract others to a saving knowledge of Your truth, because it is You who saves souls, not us. We cannot cajole or coerce anyone into a relationship with You, only Your Spirit can persuade them to receive You.

Help us to instead, be gentle and respectful, and always ready to share the reason for the hope You give us.

In your name we pray, 

Amen

Now, in the interest of fostering a greater holiday understanding, allow me to take you on a quick Christmastime tour which I first posted here back in 2004):

Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of lights. "Hanukkah " is Hebrew for "dedication.” The first evening of Hanukkah starts after the sunset of the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.
Greek invaders wanted to stop Israelis from worshiping the true God, they wanted them to worship their gods instead. A Jewish family, the Maccabees, defeated an overwhelming enemy, and rededicated the Temple.

After the occupiers had been driven from the Temple, the Maccabees took down the pagan statues and restore the Temple. They needed ritually purified olive oil to light a Menorah to rededicate the Temple. However, they found only enough oil for a single day. They decided to use it until they could get new oil purified. Miraculously, the one day’s oil burned for the eight days that it took them to press new oil and ceremonially bless and present it. That’s why Jews light one candle each night of the eight-day festival.

Kwanzaa is a celebration of life, family, and community based on the principles of African culture. Kwanzaa was established in aftermath of the Watts Riots, provoked by cases of police brutality. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Ron Everett, a professor at California State University, Long Beach. Everett wanted to preserve, continually revitalize and promote American culture through African rituals.

Kwanzaa celebrated by some African Americans for a week between December 26 and January 1. It’s not a religious holiday, but a cultural one, based on various elements of “first harvest” celebrations celebrated in Africa. “Kwanza” is Swahili for “first fruits. Each of the days symbolizes one of the Seven Principles: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.

Las Posadas Back in my hometown of Phoenix, luminaries mark the route from house to house. Luminaries are small candles sitting in paper sacks filled with sand. In Mexico and parts of the Southwest, “Las Posadas” are nightly processions enacted the nine nights before Christmas. Each night, children dressed as Mary, Joseph, and shepherds knock on neighbors’ doors, singing a ritual song that begs entrance to the posada (inn), only to be turned away. Grown ups dressed as the Devil chase the children with sparklers and roman candles. On Christmas Eve, “El Bueno Noche” (the good night) the family at the last house sing a welcome song, and the whole parade enters for a party with fruit punch, tamales and piñatas.

Neighborhood Lights & Display Contests And of course Clark W. Griswald (Chevy Chase), was the first American to light his house up like an airport runway so that Santa Claus could tell where to bring the presents. And so that the hoards of Vikings could know where the credit card customer lived, so they could bring the devastatingly high interest rates.

But, yes, the most important festival of lights will be the one that sheds light on the true meaning of Christmas. So may I suggest that the family that prays together, stays together. And a “Christian Nation” begins at home. Instead of worrying about how “un-Christian” Christmas seems to be getting, why not make your own Christmas a little more Spiritual and a little less superficial. Why not start reading devotions and praying nightly during the festival of Advent.

Advent means “coming.” It is a season when we prepare for Jesus’ arrival. There are five candles in an advent wreath. 3 purple orblue, and one pink, and one white. Purple symbolizes both His royalty and our repentance. My church, the Lutheran Church~Missouri Synod changed from purple to blue to distinguish Advent from Lent, which also uses purple. 30 years later I haven't gotten used to it, but whatchyagonnado, right?

An Advent wreath is a circle, which has no beginning and no end. Pine is used because it is "evergreen," also representing eternal life. However, the wreath is also foreshadowing of Christ's passion. Pine needles and/or holly leaves represent the crown of thorns and holly berries and/or poinsettia flowers represent the blood He shed on the cross.

• The first violet candle is the “Prophets candle” and symbolizes the hope that Old Testament Jews had that a Messiah would one day come.
• The second violet candle is the “Bethlehem” candle and represents the peace that the new God/Man savior would bring, ending the long spiritual rift between God and mankind.
• The pink candle is the “Angels’” candle (or in some traditions, the “Mary” candle) it symbolizes the joy of Heaven that a Savior was finally to be born.
• The last violet candle is the “Shepherds’” candle and represents the love or adoration of those ready to accept the gift of the Christ child.
• The large white candle  in the center, often lit on Christmas or Christmas Eve is the “Christ Candle” and represents Jesus as the “Light of the world,” or the Epiphany, God on Earth.

Prayer at family Advent devotion

"Dear Jesus,
Please help us so that nobody has bad dreams tonight
And when Santa comes, keep him safe
And thank you for all of the things that we already have
and thank you for all of the things that we don't have yet that maybe we're getting
but help us be thankful for everything you give us.
And help other people who maybe don't have much stuff.
We love you Jesus,
Amen"

This was my 5 year old! And then later she was singing the Galatians 5 song, "Love, Joy, Peace and Patience, Kindness, Faithness, Goodness..." She didn't quite get all the lyrics right, but how awesome that your kid is singing about the fruit of the Spirit?

Thank You Jesus, for the faith of a child. How blessed are my wife and I?

Advent2010- better to light a candle than curse the darkness

"Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I'll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns." ~Philippians 2:14-15 (the Message)

"better to light a candle than curse the darkness" is an ancient Chinese proverb used as a motto by the Christophers, a group founded by Catholics to promote tolerance, service, political honesty, caring for the sick and poor, and dealing with substance abuse.

It is a theme dramatically illustrated in this 1935 etching by Picasso, The Minitauromachy, in which even in the very face of death, destruction and evil, a little girl holds up a candle of hope against the onslaught of fascism, imperialism, and militarism symbolized by the minotaur.

This first week of Advent, the candle in the wreath is the candle of hope, sometimes known as the Prophets' candle. True, we often look to old testament prophecies of the coming messiah (Jesus), but in Philippians 2, Paul challenges us to be prophets- people who speak God's Word into a dark world. We can hold onto and carry the light of Christ's love into our daily lives, and into even the bleakest situations.

It's easy to become negative, either angry and cynical or discouraged and depressed- but God calls us to be different, to be full of hope. People with Jesus have hope, and people with hope have a sense of security and stability that the world really needs right now.

In a world of poverty, unemployment, alcohol drug abuse and dependence, divorce, non-traditional and broken families, my students sometimes think of me as boring, conservative or an anachronism. But they also see me as safe and steady, caring and approachable and I hope as trustworthy. I'm not the world's greatest teacher or coach. But I can try to be as patient, kind, empathetic, and caring as I can. 

It sounds Pollyanna or naive', but sometimes just being a decent person can make someone's world a better place. Certainly just being friendly and smiling can make someone's day.

This Christmas season, try lighting candles instead of just cursing the darkness. Try to be a prophet of hope.

"17 Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor." ~Job 11:17-19

Advent2010- grow in grace & knowledge

...you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9

Monday morning, my daily devotion was 2 Peter 3 (read it yourself). You almost couldn't find a better chapter if you wanted to  study Jesus' second coming, like many Christian denominations do in this last part of the church year.

In verse 2, Peter tells us to think about what the Old Testament prophets had to say about Jesus, the promised messiah.  Peter empathizes with readers about being laughed at for looking forward to Jesus' return (verses 3-4). He tells them that the same skeptics doubt that God created the world (v.5). 

There are actually Republican lawmakers in Congress who deny global warming because in Genesis 9, God promises not to destroy the earth with a flood again. First of all, I figure, PEOPLE are destroying it this time with pollution, whether rising sea levels are part of that or regional climate changes. But in verse 10, Peter explains that the next time God will use fire, not water. 

Now, I tend to be one who thinks he's speaking metaphorically, but if you really want to engage in speculation you could imagine solar flares or nuclear Armageddon. But it's important to keep reading 2 Peter 3 because in verse 10 he also reminds us of what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 Jesus Himself said in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32- that no one knows when He'll come back and you can't predict it- so just trust that He's coming. 

As God's children, we can look forward to a new Heaven and a new Earth. We have hope, not fear and we should focus on trust, not speculation. Prophecy for us should mean, speaking God's love and forgiveness, not claiming to predict the future.

Most people think of the book of Revelation as being about the end times and imagine that it predicts the last days. One of my all time favorite books is about how Revelation is really a letter of comfort, hope, and joy- things we associate with Christmas time. The book is Joy in Our Weakness: A Gift of Hope from the Book of Revelation by Dr. Marva Dawn.

Sure, as a progressive, I tend to use verse 8, a day is like a thousand years to rationalize being able to believe that God is the creator, yet it's hard to dismiss evidence of at least some evolution- but Peter meant it to assure them that just because Jesus hadn't returned yet, didn't mean He wasn't still coming.

Today we may look around and easily be overwhelmed with doubt and discouragement. The world is pretty dark, the times are pretty hard. But that doesn't mean that God isn't still there, or that He doesn't still love us, or that He isn't coming back again to abolish death, darkness, doubt and despair once and for all.

That's why the real core of this whole chapter is verse 9. Verse 8 isn't about evolution or when the second coming will happen, it's really about verse 9. And verse 9 is all about God's patient love. He doesn't want ANYONE to be lost. He doesn't WANT anyone to go to Hell. His will is that EVERYONE would come to Him for the free gifts of His love and forgiveness. 

What Peter wants for his readers (and he gives Paul kudos for wanting the same in his letters) is for us to keep working at learning and growing in our faith: " But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

That's what Advent should be all about. Sorry if this post got a little long, or if I wrote more from the head than from the heart- but my hope for you this Advent season, is whether it's here at this blog, some other kind of Advent devotional, or just digging into the Bible on your own- try to grow in both grace and knowledge of Jesus. 

Peace, hope and joy!

Advent2010- Christmas is for Children

"1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." ~1 John 3:1

Advent (Adventus in Latin, or Parousia in Greek) means looking forward to or preparing for the royal arrival of our Lord and receiving our inheritance as heirs to His kingdom. In case you never heard of it before, Advent is is the season between the Sunday after Thanksgiving through Christmas in the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist churches.

Official Church liturgy and Bible readings often focus on Jesus' second coming, although most of us lay-people tend to focus on the whole Baby-Jesus traditional Christmas story. The secular world tend to focus on the innocent wonder of childhood, Santa, and of course retail commerce.

If time, inspiration, and inclination, permit me, I'd like to address all of these issues on this blog over the course of the next month.

Regular followers of this blog, know that I'm a big fan of  I John. A great way to think of 1 John 3:1 is like we're little kids anxiously waiting for our Daddy to come home from a business trip. We know He loves us and we've talked to him every night on the phone, but we can't wait to finally get to see us in person. On top of it, He's bringing us presents from his trip!

That is some lavish love indeed. But the part that really gives us hope and fits the Advent theme is, "... now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is"

We are saved and justified, but our new lives have just begun, our purification and sanctification will be a life-long process, not completed in full until His return on that last day. I had a pastor once call this the "now, not-yet" factor. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12, " For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

I kind of like how the British version of Santa Claus is called "Father Christmas." He can be a metaphor for how we already know that we are loved and cherished children, but we also wait excitedly for when our daddy comes to pick us up from the babysitter and take us home.

Advent2010- Ad te, Domine, levavi

1To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2O my God, in You I trust,

Do not let me be ashamed;

Do not let my enemies exult over me.

3Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;

Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

4Make me know Your ways, O LORD;

Teach me Your paths.

5Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

For You I wait all the day.

Read All of Psalm 25 (American Standard Translation)

"Ad te, Domine, levavi" is the first line (in Latin) of Psalm 25, traditionally used by Western churches as the gradual in the liturgy for the first Sunday in Advent.

What an image, to lift (levavi) up our soul to God. This time of year we can face a lot of stress, tighter schedules, bills, shopping, deadlines, bad weather, and looking back at the year or at people we've lost. Lots of people struggle with depression. This is the perfect time to look up, to look toward God, what He's done for us and what He promises to do. 

It's the perfect time to look up, to lift our spirits, to lift up our tired, achy souls to God, so that He can refresh and renew us.

Lighten Up; a Satori

This morning in my email, someone had sent me an e-card for a Happy Diwali. It was sent anonymously so I don't know who to thank, let alone whether they were sending it sincerely (knowing that I appreciate and am open to a lot of Eastern culture and philosophy) or if they were trying to be play with me (just another holiday) or trying to bait me somehow (cause I'm this big liberal). 

However it was intended, I decided to take it in the spirit of Diwali- a celebration of lights and the ultimate triumph of good over evil and compassion over selfishness. 

We're just about to get into a lot of festivals of lights here in the next 2 months, what with Jewish Hanukkah, African-American Kwanza, and of course Christianity's Advent season leading up to Christmas and then Epiphany (when we celebrate Jesus, our light coming into the world).

Diwali, also known as Deepavali is a five day festival in Fall when many Hindus, Sikhs, and some Buddhists light oil lamps, wear new clothes and enjoy sweets with their families for five days.

The spiritual aspect of Diwali is that participants attain and awareness of their "inner light," the eternal, unchanging true self, your "Atman" or soul, if you like. These Eastern traditions teach that true enlightenment leads to compassion, love and the awareness that we are all interdependent.

These three principles are pretty worthy aspirations. In fact, lets face it, Jesus taught, demonstrated and offers love (John 13:34-35), compassion (Luke 2), and communion (John 17, Acts 4:32)  too.

If there's a difference it's that in Christianity, we know that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 2:23. Let's face it, call me a pessimist, but every human being is by nature fallible, imperfect, selfish and short-sighted. As the psalmist put it, "Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who doesgood, not even one."~Psalm 53:3

There's a lot about the East that is admirable and that we Westerners need to learn from. But the biggest difference theologically is that they're looking for an "inner" light withing one's self, whereas Jesus tells us that He is our light.

“I am the light of theworld. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ~John 8:12

The Apostle John  had to compete with Gnosticists and other competing teachings that claimed that humans are capable of transcending society and becoming godlike by looking inside (see my series on John's Epistles, "Johnny Poppin"). Our light comes from outside, not inside.

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."~Revelations 21:23

By pointing this out, it does NOT give Christians an excuse to judge, discriminate or hate Hindus or Buddhists. "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness."~1 John 2:9

The thing is, we ourselves don't have our own light inside us, but we should have a light inside. We should REFLECT God's light. It's like God is the sun and we are all moons. If Jesus lives inside us, if He put His Holy Spirit into our hearts, than we can shine like stars (Philippians 2:15).

"For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." ~2 Corinthians 4-5

If I understand correctly, many Eastern religions suggest that if we fail to reach enlightenment, we will have many more attempts through reincarnation- eventually maybe attaining loss of self by being absorbed into the universe's goodness. Whereas we are offered reunion and fellowship with each other and with our Father as God's children. And we will never have to fear the darkness again.

"There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the lightof the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."~Revelations 22:5

So, blessed Diwali all my friends, Namaste!

May compassion, love, unity, and enlightenment be yours in Christ.

Advent Devotion: His name is our name too

14 " 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 " 'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.'

-Jeremiah 33:14-16

Usually at Christmas, we think of the baby Jesus, being born into the family of mankind, God incarnated in lowly flesh. But it's important to remember why He did it- not so that He could be in our dysfunctional family, but so that we could become a part of His, complete, whole, perfectly loving family. 1 John 3:1a declares "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

When a child is adopted, they receive the last name of their adoptive family. You are no longer a John or Jane "Doe," unaffiliated, unclaimed, unknown, unassociated. Once adopted, you are no longer unsafe or unsaved.

Because Jesus was born on Christmas, and died for our sins on Good Friday and defeated sin, death, and the Devil on Easter morning- we are adopted as God's children. Christ isn't really a last name, it's a title- it means "anointed one." To be anointed means to be set aside for God's special purpose. To be "Christians" (little-Christs) means that we inherit that same purpose, the purpose is sharing God's love and the good news of His forgiveness through Jesus- our purpose is to enlarge the family.

Having the right name can make all the difference. In the movie "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" a group of New York teenagers spend all night trying to find the club that their favorite band will play. Most people have to stand in lines outside, few get past the bouncers- but Nora can get her friends in every time. The reason is because she's the daughter of a famous music producer with lots of connections. Her name gets her perks.

In Jeremiah 33, God promised a new branch in His family tree and He gives us His name as our new name- "The Lord is our righteousness." Without Jesus, none of us could ever be holy or worthy to be set aside for His purposes, let alone be His child. But once adopted, He no longer sees our own lack of righteousness, He IS our righteousness.

This Christmas, remember the Christ part of the holiday's name, because it is also OUR name if we are adopted into His family. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

---

Know someone who's adopted? Pray for them this Christmas.

Are you facing an unplanned pregnancy? Adoption is a beautiful choice. Give your baby the gift of life and the gift of a loving family who're looking for a child to love and care for.

Got love and resources to share? Be like Joseph the carpenter from Nazareth, consider adopting or becoming a foster parent.

http://www.lfsiowa.org - Lutheran Family Services of Iowa

http://www.christianadopt.org - Christian Adoption Services

Holiday Iconography

Here's a little exercise in graphic design I gave myself today that put me in the Christmas spirit. Feel free to right-click and download or save as any of these graphics and use them for whatever print or web media you like. I plan on adding versions for all four weeks of Advent, plus one with the white Christ candle int he middle for Christmas. I saved these as PNGs at about 150 dpi. I'll be happy to email any of them to anyone who's interested too. While I personally like the ecumenical purple, just let me know and I'll be glad to send you some in LCMS Advent blue if you prefer. They're supposedly transparent, so they should work on whatever colored background your particular blog, Web site or email happens to be. I think they'll look pretty much like they do here on paper.

I know, doing pro-bono work is a bad business model, but it's the season of giving, right? If it's important to you to give and not just receive, you can always look for the PayPal donate button on my cartoon blog. Above is my first design, an Advent Mandela- sort of the traditional Advent wreath only viewed from directly above.
This year, instead of an Advent calendar with little drawers to pull out, we opted for a devotional Advent tree, separate from our family's main Christmas Tree. It has 26 numbered mini-stockings on it for our girls to find surprises in after we read devotions.
I think my favorite of the 4 designs is this Advent "Menorah." I guess I've always been fascinated with Christianity's roots in Judaism. It may also hearken for some the Kwanzaa candles too. But even if neither of these other faith traditions come to mind, the half wreath might suggest an elliptical full-Gestalt wreath. Plus I love the organic looking wick and flame on this one.
I call this one my Advent graphic-equalizer for you stereo-philes out there. In our house we use a crystal bar with four tea lights in it rather than a traditional evergreen or holly wreath. I miss the crown of thorns symbolism, but with out busy family it's hard to keep the table tops clear- especially with all the gift wrapping this time of year.

Christians, and Americans need peace among themselves and love for one another

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66
Hymn # 31 from Lutheran Worship
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NRSV)

12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.

One of the things that weighs on my heart this Thanksgiving is how politically divided we are. Families can barely talk about important issues because progressives think conservatives are anti-intellectual and merely following the talking points that they get from FOX NEWS and conservatives think that progressives aren't even Christian and are being mislead by some anti-American, foreign born, Muslim antichrist.

Even our Christian denominations are struggling with schisms over immigration, abortion, and gay marriage.

Let us pray this year that, yes, God's truth prevail, but also that wounds would heal and egos and agendas be set aside so that we might focus on what His most important commands, His command to love Him with all our strength and all our hearts and minds. The command to love one another as He first loved us. The command to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Enough anger and vitriol and judgment and condemnation. Enough division and struggle! Let there be peace, let there be love. O come, Prince of Peace, come to our hearts and our homes and our congregations. O come to our nation, and bring peace on Your wings!

Be like the moon, reflect the Son

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

I have seen the light!

John 1:1-5 (New International Version)

John 1

The Word Became Flesh

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.