Christmas Is the Path of Glory

0

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 9:47 AM

Labels: , ,

A couple weeks ago our son, Ben, sang This Is War written by Dustin Kensrue. This song rings a bell not heard very often at Christmas, but its message is so true that it needs to be heard over and over again.

This is war like you ain't seen.
This winter's long, it's cold and mean.
With hangdog hears we stood condemned,
But the tide turns now at Bethlehem.

This is war and born tonight,
The Word as flesh, the Lord of Light,
The Son of God, the low-born king;
Who demons fear, of whom angels sing.

This is war on sin and death,
The dark will take its final breath.
It shakes the earth, confounds all plans;
The mystery of God as man.

We readily sing songs that bring us joy and happiness, songs that celebrate the coming of the King, and this is right that we do. But we must remember that the occasion of the birth of Jesus that causes us much celebration is also one that caused Him much pain. His birth was the result of difficult choices. God the Father made the difficult choice of sending His Son. Jesus the Son made the difficult choice of leaving the glorious majesty of His Father to be born a human. The immortal God took on mortal flesh. He became like one of us!

Jesus spoke of His death as the hour He would be glorified, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23). And just a few verses later He stated that He came for the very purpose of His death so He could glorify His Father (“But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” [vv. 27-28]). The cross was the path for His own glory and the glory of His Father.

So even though it was a path of great pain, ultimately it lead to unadulterated joy as Jesus returned to the Father, and so He will forever be enthroned!

Jesus’ difficult choice leads me to the conclusion that our lives are going to be full of difficult, but necessary, choices. The path of our King will be the road we will travel as well. So as we celebrate Christmas this year let’s certainly celebrate, but let’s also not forget what lies ahead.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

What's Up?

0

Thursday, December 08, 2011 9:41 AM

Labels: ,

"Hey, what's up?"

When people ask me that question I usually answer it literally: Jesus, helicopters and clouds! But as I was thinking of that question today, my mind went immediately to the state of Calvary Church: our spirits, attendance and offerings! It’s pretty cool to see what has been happening in the last couple of months. Allow me a few lines to share a little more detail…

The spirit of Calvary is up because God is changing and molding us daily into the image of His Son. Always keep in mind that the goal of our lives is to honor God and the best way we can to that is to be more like His Son. We are ever learning what this means and how this looks, and we should never think that we’ve arrived. When we fall into the trap of believing we’ve mastered the art of glorifying God and knowing Him perfectly then we become stagnant. You know what a stagnant pool of water smells like? Well, when the warmer weather rolls around just go dig a hole in your backyard and fill it with water and then a few weeks later stick your nose down there and take in a big whiff! Yeah, it stinks…I think you get the point. Just keep allowing God to make changes in you!

We’ve seen numerical growth in the last two months as well. We thought this might happen as we neared the move-in date to our new building. Excitement is catchy and its, uh, mmm, well EXCITING! I love walking into the auditorium and seeing a new face! (Yeah, I like seeing all your “old” mugs just as well!) This is what’s really neat about a smaller church – you know when someone new is there and you also know when someone who is supposed to be there isn’t. Calvary Church is a family and a key word for us should be “TOGETHER.”

As much as I am not a number oriented pastor, I still know what’s going on. I don’t stick me head in the sand and say with Doris Day, “Whatever will be, will be.” I pretty much know the giving and attendance trends. What I’ve seen lately is that our average weekly giving to the budget is higher than the last two years. As near as I can tell we began trending upward in October. So far this year we’ve raised about $28,000 toward the new building (this includes the “Building Fund” and “A Thanksgiving Offering”). I want to challenge you as we come to the end of another year to give like you’ve never given. No, we are not in a crisis; and I am not in a panic. I just know that this is the time of year people are looking for a good and ethical place to give and I ask, “Why not Calvary?” I would like to see us raise another $10,000 toward “A Thanksgiving Offering” to help pay for the chairs, security system, phone system, signs, stage, etc. Pray with your family and ask God what He wants you to give. I have confidence that you will obey God’s leading!

Grace & Peace,
Scott
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)