The Wonder of Light

LIGHT EQUALS LIFE

Jn 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men

Don’t we all enjoy this season of colorful, bright lights that brighten our dark, cold, winter skies. I know that I do. Christmas lights have a warmth about them that brings a gentle glow into my heart. I used to, to be honest I still do, enjoy riding around observing the many different home displays of those lights. I enjoy them almost as much as I enjoy being able to look into the heavens exploring the celestial brightness of God’s handy work in His creation of the stars. Or as the old hymn states “when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made”, I’m struck by His immensity, and His concern for this small portion that creation.

When observing the twinkling lights of the stars I am also struck by the darkness, the blackness that surrounds those beacons of brightness. I begin to contemplate what is darkness. When as a child, my parents took the family to Linville Caverns. For a few dollars admission we were allowed to follow a young guide into a fairly large cave in the mountains of NC. Two things stand out in my mind about that visit. The first was when our sadistic guide got us down into the bowels of the earth and turned the lights out. That was a heavy blackness that I had never witnessed before…there was no light. The second vivid memory of that visit was the springs of water in the cavern which held some small fish. They swam peaceably in the cold mountain stream, living their lives with seemingly little concern about their condition. Living their lives underground with no light, their eyes had become useless, and they were totally blind and even when light was offered, they still could not see. Darkness is simply the absence of light and for millennia mankind lived in a type of spiritual darkness, some hoping for light to enter, but most spiritually blind and accepting of their blindness, content to live their lives swimming blindly, with no purpose, no anchor, no light. Missing the beauty of life itself.

A few years after the visit to Linville Caverns we visited Luray Caverns in Virginia. Luray is a much larger cavern than Linville and had more lighting shining throughout the tour. One was able to see the colors created by the mineral deposits that made up the stalagmites and stalactites of the cavern. It was only when light entered was the beauty exposed of what God had created.

We gather this morning to celebrate light which is life itself. Our faith is more than religion, more than mere traditions, but it is life. Our Jewish friends celebrate a holiday about this time each year called Hanukkah or The Festival of Lights, they’re celebrating a miracle that took place 2,000 years ago, we too celebrate a miracle that took place 2,000 years ago. We celebrate a miracle of light, when God allowed light to shine forth in a small stable in a town called Bethlehem. This light chases the darkness of men’s heart to flee and allows life to enter their being. But so many of us are like those fish in Linville Cavern, we like the darkness, we like to hide within ourselves, ignoring the light that can cleanse our souls. Not knowing that we are blind, we continue to live in that darkness.

Today we light the Christ Candle, this flame lights our hearts and He gives life. We leave this place in a few moments, but we carry that light within us. May you enjoy this day with your loved ones and may you celebrate the life that is in Christ.

THREE TIERS

Ephesians 2:4-10

A very wise man once told me that the hardest thing to do in this world, in his estimation, was to communicate to another person a thought, a concept in its entirety the way in which he thought and felt. I’ve come to accept and incorporate that proverb into my own physic.

That is why I believe today’s message is such an ambitious attempt to explain the construct of three tiers or foundations that all of Christianity rest. Three pillars of Christianity represented by Three small words in the English language translated from the Greek Language, these impact the fate of all that live, have lived, or will live. Mercy, Grace, Love-I’m no Greek scholar, but I do have the ability to look in Greek dictionaries to find original meanings of words used in today’s text.

Eleos-translated as mercy. Meaning compassion and in these verses the idea is “divine compassion”.

Charis-translated as grace. Meaning the divine influence on the heart, and its reflection in life; including gratitude: acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, gracious, joy, liberality (charity), pleasure, thank (-s – worthy).

Agape-translated as Love; defined as dear love, benevolence, affection, charity, love without strings attached.

There is a fourth word whose definition is important to our understanding of today’s message:

Chrestos-translated as kindness meaning excellence ( in character or demeanor), usefulness, gentleness, goodness, gracious, (forgive me for using the word to define the word) kind.

Definitions taken from Strong’s Concise Dictionary of the words in THE GREEK TESTAMENT

A Mother Who Approached Napoleon For a Pardon For Her Son

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice, and justice demanded death. “But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained. “I plead for mercy.” “But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” the woman cried, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.” “Well, then,” the emperor said, “I will have mercy.” And he spared the woman’s son. (Luis Palau, “Experiencing God’’s Forgiveness“, Multnomah Press, 1984)

God has, since the very beginning of mankinds rebellion against him, extended His mercy toward us. Not due to our own individual actions, but His benevolence, motivate by His love, and not by our own perceived adorableness.

What’s Unique about Christianity?

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods’ appearing in human form. Resurrection?

Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. “What’s the rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

After some discussion, the conferees had to agree. The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law — each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.

I have always wondered why people move forward toward religions that seek to please God by our acts that we might be delivered from the bondage of death by earning His favor. It simply can’t be done. Paul in Roman’s tells us this, even as great an apostle as he, he knew that he battled the old man and sometimes he lost. In today’s scripture he tells us in verse 9, not by works, but by faith we are delivered. There is not a believer who doesn’t battle the same demon we find in the mirror when we examine ourselves.

The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law — each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.

Aware of our inbuilt resistance to grace, Jesus talked about it often. He described a world suffused with God’s grace: where the sun shines on people good and bad; where birds gather seeds gratis, neither plowing nor harvesting to earn them; where untended wildflowers burst into bloom on the rocky hillsides.

Like a visitor from a foreign country who notices what the natives overlook, Jesus saw grace everywhere. Yet he never analyzed or defined grace, and almost never used the word. Instead, he communicated grace through stories we know as parables.

Philip Yancey

I was recently asked if a person who takes his own life can go to heaven? The question itself judges that suicide is a sin and has been taught for centuries that it is. I’ll be honest, I can’t claim conclusively that it is or it isn’t, but I can confidently state that by the grace of God every believer is sealed by the Spirit of God (Eph. 1:13,14; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5) and that no man, even one’s self can pluck him from the Father’s hand. The Holy Spirit by the Grace of God is our surety, earnest, promise of arriving in heaven to be with Christ for eternity. Can you not also see that God’s Grace moves beyond the giving of life, the conquering of death, but to the joy, the enjoyment, the beauty of His creation; the fact that in a sense we who believe and even non-believers already have a taste of blue heaven here on earth and it is by God’s graciousness toward us? I pray that every flower you see, every note sung in the cool of the morning, every time you witness the smile of small child, or smell the sweet fragrance of a new born you recognize His grace being bestowed on you.

We’ve talked about mercy & grace being two tiers or foundations of this thing we call
Christianity, but lets now look at the third tier we’re examining today-Love.

The apostle John actually defines, describes God as love. It is love that motivated him in the Garden of Eden to extend mercy, it was love of David that he was merciful when David sinned with Bathsheba. And it is love that motivates Him to extend His Grace toward us. As strange as it may sound, His love flows from Him because of Him, not because we are lovely, but because He is. This tier is the most important support Christianity possesses.

On this hinges God’s mercy and His grace: and just as importantly, our desired actions. 1John 4:15,16.

Our works or actions can’t earn God’s grace, but when we are given – granted that grace it should affect our works, actions, even our emotions. Isn’t that what Paul is saying in verse 10 of Eph. 2? Paul talks about kindness in his discussion of God’s mercy and grace, as if these are the works of God. What then does He (God) expect once He has bestowed his mercy and grace on the believer? Do you think He desires of us to be gracious to others, to be kind, to love them? Didn’t Jesus state we are to love one another, our neighbor? And did he qualify who our neighbor is? When we love we are gracious toward those we love. We all know or have known someone whose character has exhibited a special graciousness toward us. I remember Hoyt Clark, the simple words he shared with me after my son’s funeral, that impacted me in such a way that in no small part, has led me to stand here today.

Our God is loving, kind, merciful, and gracious, His followers should be too.

LIGHT

Jn 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men

When observing the twinkling lights of the stars I am also struck by the darkness, the blackness that surrounds those beacons of brightness. I begin to contemplate on what is darkness. When as a child, my parents took the family to Linville Caverns. For a few dollars admission we were allowed to follow a young guide into a fairly large cave in the mountains of NC. Two things stand out in my mind about that visit. The first was when our sadistic guide got us down into the bowels of the earth and turned the lights out. That was a heavy blackness that I had never witnessed before…there was no light. The second vivid memory of that visit was the springs of water in the cavern which held some small fish. They swam peaceably in the cold mountain stream, living their lives with seemingly little concern about their condition. Living their lives underground with no light their eyes had become useless and they were totally blind and even when light was offered, they still could not see. Darkness is simply the absence of light and for millennia mankind lived in a type of spiritual darkness, some hoping for light to enter, but most spiritually blind and accepting of their blindness, content to live their lives swimming blindly, with no purpose, no anchor, no light. Missing the beauty of life itself.

A few years after the visit to Linville Caverns we visited Luray Caverns in Virginia. Luray is a much larger cavern than Linville and had more lighting shining throughout the tour. One was able to see the colors created by the mineral deposits that made up the stalagmites and stalactites of the cavern. It was only when light entered was the beauty exposed of what God had created.

We gather this morning to celebrate light which is life itself. Our faith is more than religion, more than mere traditions… it is life. Our Jewish friends celebrate a holiday about this time each year called Hanukkah or The Festival of Lights, they’re celebrating a miracle that took place 2,000 years ago, we too celebrate a miracle that took place 2,000 years ago. We celebrate a miracle of light, when God allowed light to shine forth from a small stable in a town called Bethlehem. This light shines a beam on the darkness of men’s hearts and allows life to enter their being. But so many of us are like those fish in Linville Cavern, we like the darkness, we like to hide within ourselves, ignoring the light that can cleanse our souls. Not knowing that we are blind, we continue to live in that darkness.

VALUE

Peace within yourself is a contentment that is liken to the soothing sound of the melodious babble of a pristine spring of water tumbling over cool moss covered granite stones. The attitude is one that allows the wearing of time and life’s problems to divide and break apart with barely any impact on the secret self, hidden, but exposed.

The true secret of loving another is to find the ability to love one’s self. To fully know someone else, we must first come to know ourselves. For how can we know another save as an illusion if you know not yourself? Are we not the closest to ourselves than any one else? We live lives of fantasies, believing the impossible, hoping for the unattainable. desiring to change the immovable, and all the time blinding ourselves to that which we already have in our grasp: to that which graces our lives and whose loss would leave us as barren as a moonscape. cratered, cold, dark, a facsimile of a living planet.

Yet we are all guilty of failing to see that which is important. We are constantly looking for someone to give us importance, validity, a purpose. The eyes of another are the mirrors which reflect what we are, but our importance, validity, and purpose must spring from the depths of our own bosom. Let us look into our own hearts with the blazing light of honesty, knowing that which will be seen shall be a mixture of good and bad, some of which will neither be black or white, but gray with the definition of a foggy mist. In seeing all this we must need to embrace ourselves with self-acceptance, treating ourselves with tenderness and with the knowledge that we are the creation of God, and His imitators.

Contentment is worthy goal, more noble and desirous than that of joy or happiness.

PSTD

Forty-seven years to carry tragedy in a secret poke while being exposed to life and expected to smile…to be happy…to embrace the new normal…to be able to share some secret on living is a burden, obligation, blessing, and foolishness. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my life’s contact with the impossible event to accept. You left. Nothing has ever been the same.

PSTD isn’t just a military, natural disaster event, sometimes it’s just living day to day with an unexpected, undesired event entering into that day to day. When that explosion enters, one is left to find some meaning to that thing; a means to continue to live a life with purpose. You did that to me. Your leaving required me to grow-up, to finally be an adult (whatever that means). It also left me to learn to live with a pain, a longing that I can’t describe to anyone, so I had to learn to carry that in secret. I had to learn to play those mind games that project public meanings to your leaving so that others can accept the event and to finally let you publicly fade in their memory…that they can treat me as normal and allows me to embrace others.

It has been proposed by Katherine Kubler-Ross that they’re steps to grieving that we go through that lead to a healing, a returning to normal living. Those steps are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Who am I to argue with these steps? I have walked those paths. The immediate aftermath of your leaving was shock that you could leave, a shock that effected my ability to function. But function I did. Anger, absolutely, I embraced it with a vengeance. I railed against God, I saw others through that anger. It was months before I released that anger, and for what it’s worth I forgave God for allowing you to leave, for taking you, for refusing to bargain. The grey winter skies of depression set-in and through the years still slips in, not as often, but still. Acceptance is a confusing term. I quickly came to accept that I couldn’t change the fact of your leaving, and that you’re not going to return during my lifetime. But I will never accept that your being is gone…you walk within me, you step in stride quietly impacting my way of interacting with the world.

Tears still fill my eyes and as strange as it may sound, I’m grateful that they do. Are they a sign of a disorder? Evidence of a lack normalcy? No, to me they say I am normal, that life’s value is in the living, and that our relationship was valuable. If time could be turned back, I’d still embrace you and the warmth of that embrace would be worth the price. Thank you for being a part of my life.

FEAR OF CHANGE

fear of change

Read “Waiting on the World to Change”. by John Mayer

Change is a frightening thing; it gives rise to all kind of questions. Perhaps the largest is what does the future hold? Most of us are more comfortable with the status quo, but change is going to come. A little over 100 years ago Jules Verne wrote a book titled “Around the world in Eighty Days” whose premise was that it was considered impossible to do. It can be done in hours today. Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, Bell the telephone, Marconi the radio, Ford the assembly line, and the Wrights flew. Each of these changes has brought about tremendous change in the way lives are lived. Information is now seconds away instead of weeks or months; decisions are made quickly without time for reflection in some cases. The world has become a much smaller place than it was just 40 years ago. Cultures are now able to rub against each other much more easily than in the past. World economy is impacting local economies as never before.

In our culture we find future affected by our present. The loss of a job, a marriage, the death of a loved one, how to grow beyond our past.

God wants us to embrace change, to work to better what we have and to overcome FEAR.

I. Stand firm

Ex. 14:13-14 God will fight for you; you need only to be still

be still and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10)

II. Take the next step

Ex. 14:15-16 Move on ( the parting of the Red Sea)

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and light for my path (Ps. 119:105)

illustration of steering a car. The idea of inertia

III. Don’t Deify Fear

courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the willingness to admit its existence and to move to action anyway

Nehemiah admitting his fear to the king. (Neh.2:2b-3)

Nehemiah’s request of God (Neh. 1:11)

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid. (Ps 27:1).

IV. Stay away from the what “Ifs”

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Ps. 51:2).

V. Step out boldly

trust God story of Miriam and the baby Moses

VI. Ride the Roller Coaster

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt6:34)

my fear of roller coasters, of flying. enjoy life today!!!

enjoy life today

Rambling Thoughts

I was preveiwing a book by Ruth Graham, Billy’s late wife, titled the

Prodicals and Those Who Love Them.

I’ve only read the preface and the section on Augustine, but I’m impressed with her writing style and the substance of what she has written.

She relates a story of a youth who denounces his father’s faith at the supper table and the father’s response. She also quotes C. S. Lewis, “…. “Lost” as C. S. Lewis put it, “in the invincible ignorance of his intellect.” The father response with, ” Son This is your freedom, your terrible freedom.” This story pricked my conscience. I like to think that I think and don’t just accept things, especially things of faith because of tradition or by the experience of others.

It would seem almost a pardox that as a believer I’m to study to prepare myself as a workman that need not be ashamed, while at the same time I’m to operate by faith (the substance of things hoped for, but not seen). No doubt Ruth’s thrust in writing this book is to give hope to those whose loved ones have spurned their life style, but it also speaks to the concept of free will and choice.

Scholars much brighter than I have studyed and puzzled over the question of free will and the doctrine of “election”. In the end none of their arguments completely answer the divide between what those two words (works?) mean. I am a Baptist. That is a simple statement, but it wrought with tremendous conflicts and history.

I am aligned with the Southern Baptist, which follows some Calvinist doctrine, some Armenian doctrine, and blends in Lutheran and Anglican doctrine…a kind of pick and choose smorgaborgh of teachings. I have friends that argue that only the chosen will be delivered and receive life in Christ. I see their argument, but have a hard time accepting that the God of my heart would provide sufficiency for all, then allow it to affect only those He has picked. That doesn’t even begin to question the why “Free Will”? Or what purpose it plays in the eternal? I have friends who believe that the life given through Christ can be forfeit. That one can, like the prodical, go into a distant land, but unlike him not return. This flys in the face of what I preceive as truth…we are sealed by the Spirit of God when we become believers. Who can break God’s seal?

It is a shameful thing that one of the reasons that there is a “Southern Baptist Conference” (denomination) is there was a break with the “General Baptist” over slavery. Granted that the conference has finally acknownledged its flawed beginning, it still stings. The warning is plain to me…be careful that your theology isn’t based on your culture. We still face racial inequalities and prejudices today within our denomination (not just ours), and they are more subtle and prevasive than those of even 50 years ago.

I once again reflect on Lewis’s quote, “…in the invincible ignorance of his intellect.” I realize that I ramble, that I am free thinking, allowing my mind to travel where it will, and I’m not coming to any new conclusions or decisions. At best I’m revealing to myself the invincible ignorance of my own intellect.

TEMPERED

The day starts with brightness, the morning light shines with the promise of laughter, joy, and all pleasures of life. Your eyes are full of hope as your heart is surrounded in the comfort of the knowledge that you are in the mist of those who love, share their lives, and give meaning to your existence.

As the sun travels through the sky it begins. The silent thief comes to remove from you that which is most dear. You sense his presence by a small tingle of anxiety in the pit of your stomach, but you recognize him for what he is. The darkness that drowns your soul. He steals your light as quietly as a window shade being pulled slowly blocks the life of day. He brings a strange comfort of an evil sort, and he is almost welcomed for he is known by you, and his existence you can justify. This is the most terrible of things, for in giving justification he robs you of the desire to embrace that which is good of life.

Yet even this evil darkness whose desire is to steal, maim, and destroy can be turned to good. If one can swim in the morass of bitterness of self, he can be more in tuned with those others who struggle with their own demons; that they may find the sun’s bright rays flowing with gentle warmness upon their face. Bringing peace to the soul of one who is being tempered by the dark fires in the furnace of life.

God’s smile is found only in the face of other like creatures, may we all seek to return His gift that warms our soul and lights our path to each other.

SIMPLE QUESTIONS

I have a dumb question. In the Gospel according to John he states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And he then states, “all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men.” Do we confuse, maybe better, do we combine the scriptures and the person (Jesus) as one or are they separate? If they are two separate things, isn’t the equating of the two bordering on or at least dangerously close to making scripture an idol? Isn’t that what Jesus charged the religious leaders of day with? They knew the scriptures, but were blind to the light that they spoke of.

Is the purpose of the traditional scriptures (the Bible) to point us toward the need of a personal relationship with Jesus? If this is true, why do we want to make the Bible a literal history book…a rigid road map to the narrow path to God? As a Baptist I use to refer to us a people of the “Book”, and took great pride in that designation. Now I wonder if that allowed me to exclude others from being my equal. That is a humbling thought, that my faith was a prideful thing that could be considered sinful.

Samuel told Saul that it was better to “obey than to sacrifice…”, and for that to hold true for us today shouldn’t we obey what Jesus admonishes in Mark, “and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment, And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself…”?

James gives us a working definition of religion in his epistle. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”. Action words, things to do, behaviors that make a person a follower of Christ. But actions aren’t what makes us believers, they simply give evidence that we are.

To be a follower of Christ is simple, complex, frustrating, peaceful relationship with the person of Jesus the Christ. It’s more than checking off boxes or memorizing scriptures; it’s taking personal responsibility to maintain that personal relationship with a person, not a denomination or ideology. And that can be as different as each of us.

There are fundamentals that I hold very strongly to. That God is the creator, That life is in Christ, that He restores my standing with God, that my natural condition is at enmity with God, that Jesus is both man and God. I do believe that the Bible illuminates the mind of God and does point one to Christ.

Adoption

Something to reflect on: Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, was willing to have Jesus as his adopted son. He provided him with protection, met his physical needs, and raised him with love. The doctrine of adoption taught in the Epistles (letters recorded in the New Testament) reflect the idea of that, adoption by all who accept Christ as true sons of the living God. Joseph did not use the qualifier of adopted or step-son, but always claimed Jesus as his son. God does the same…we are adopted as His children, but He declares us as full sons and joint heirs with Christ. Love in its purity knows no limits!