Shopping lists, parties, parades, groceries, stocking stuffers, trips to the mall, Christmas cookies, caroling, TV specials, and on and on the Christmas list of "things I've got to do" goes. But what is missing in all of this is Jesus. How many times have we come to the end of the Christmas season and said, "Next year is going to be different. Next year I'm not going to focus so much attention on stuff and getting stuffed, but I'm going to really, really celebrate Christmas as a time of focusing on the birth of Jesus"? Well, this is the reminder to make this year the year that we do exactly that!
Before we get caught up in the nonsense of commercial Christmas let's get caught up in the real sense of a biblical Christmas. How do we do that? Glad you asked...here's what I'm thinking -
First, get a Scriptural focus. We begin where the story begins - in the Bible. Everyday make it a habit of getting into the Bible and rediscovering the authentic Christmas story. Read the prophets in the Old Testament to get their perspective on the Messiah promised from God to Israel who would deliver them not from the oppression of a government but from the oppression of their own sin. Meditate on passages such as Isaiah 7 and 9, Micah 5:2, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
Next, let the joy of the birth of Jesus capture your attention. Imagine yourself a shepherd on the night the angel announced the good news of great joy. Allow your voice to sing praise to the majesty and glory of God for the gift of His presence in the person of His Son. Let your mind dwell on Luke 2.
But don't leave Jesus as a baby. It is essential that we get caught up in the whole storyline of the Savior. Our redemption wasn't accomplished in a feed trough in Bethlehem; it was done on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem. Read the gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Remember, and store in your heart, that He did this to reveal the Father to us.
Don't raise our generation of kids thinking that Christmas is about them and what "stuff" they get. Raise them to know the meaning of Christmas is the gospel of redemption for the glory of God!
Grace & Peace,
Scott
There are times in our life when we need help. You know what I mean...times when it feels like we've been crossing a desert and we need a refreshing drink of clean, cold water. The problem is that we know what we need, but we can't get it on our own; we need someone else to give us that drink - we need someone to refresh us. Honestly this has been my life lately. With everything going on with the new building, messages to get ready, people to see, decision to be made, family to pay attention to, and life to live, I've simply needed someone to come along and refresh my soul. My family does a great job of this on a daily basis. Barb tells me how much she loves and appreciates me, and my children send me texts and Facebook posts. But sometimes you need a little more...you need to know from other people that you're doing a good job. And this is exactly what took place Sunday morning when a group of men came forward at the end of the service and each of them said a meaningful, heartfelt word of encouragement to me. Each of those embraces and words spoken in my ear reached their intended target. I walked away not just thinking that we are going to get through this relocation, but that I'm going to stick around and cast a vision for this congregation and teach this congregation until they can't stand me hanging around anymore!
Now before you go and think that I've gone all narcissistic on you and I need to be mollycoddled, I want you to remember that even the great apostle Paul needed encouragement and refreshing from time-t0-time. When he wrote to the Corinthian believers he made the following statement,
I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus...for they refreshed my spirit... (1 Corinthians 16:17-18).
Now I realize Paul was under a great deal more pressure than myself or most contemporary preachers, but I believe the application is available for today.
During this Thanksgiving week I want the congregation of Calvary Church to know that you are the best flock to under-shepherd. I love being your pastor and count it an honor to be a part of each of your lives. Thank you for coming back week after week.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
"The best Bible to use is the one you use a lot" (Peter Williams - member of the ESV translation oversight committee).
At times I am amazed at the way believers treat God's Word. I'm not talking about mistreating it physically by throwing it around; I'm talking about how God's children treat it on an emotional, intellectual and spiritual level. My concern doesn't stem from how we handle the Bible with our hands but how we handle it in our hearts. When Paul wrote Timothy about his ministry he didn't fail to mention the importance God's Word played:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16(.
According to this we cannot - we must not - treat the Bible with contempt because it is a product of Almighty God. The word translated "breathed out" is Paul's catchword for the divine inspiration of every text of Scripture. Just how inspiration works is not spelled out in this passage and so we must turn to 2 Peter to get a clearer understanding of the process.
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).
Simply put, God, through the Holy Spirit, providentially moved in the lives of 40 men over a period of 1,500 years to write 66 books to contain what He wanted them to write to reveal His glorious gospel to humanity. Each human author had his own personality and style of writing; God did not erase that, He used it. Since Scripture is a product of God, when we disrespect the Word we disrespect Him. When we neglect God's instruction, we neglect Him. It's like a parent who gives their child instruction and direction and then that child ignores it and goes their own way thinking they know better.
If Calvary Church is gospel centered then we must be centered on where God revealed this wonderful truth. We must get into the habit of always having His Word with us. Every car, backpack, diaper bag or lunch box must contain a copy of God's Word; we never know when we will need it. I encourage all of us to make it a point never to walk into a worship service without a copy of God's Word in our hands; never go to a prayer meeting without taking along your Bible. Never leave home without it!
Grace & Peace,
Scott
Shopping lists, parties, parades, groceries, stocking stuffers, trips to the mall, Christmas cookies, caroling, TV specials, and on and on the Christmas list of "things I've got to do" goes. But what is missing in all of this is Jesus. How many times have we come to the end of the Christmas season and said, "Next year is going to be different. Next year I'm not going to focus so much attention on stuff and getting stuffed, but I'm going to really, really celebrate Christmas as a time of focusing on the birth of Jesus"? Well, this is the reminder to make this year the year that we do exactly that! Before we get caught up in the nonsense of commercial Christmas let's get caught up in the real sense of a biblical Christmas. How do we do that? Glad you asked...here's what I'm thinking - 
