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Tired of Christmas Plays Blame Francis
Advent · Christmas · Uncategorized

Tired of Christmas Plays Blame Francis

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Do you feel excited about remembering the birth of Jesus?

Seven hundred years ago, the people did not read and did not own bibles.  Francis of Assisi wanted the people to understand and be energized by the birth of Jesus.

St. Bonaventure (d. 1274) Life of St. Francis of Assisi

It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Grecio to commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, [St. Francis] determined to keep it with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff.

Then he prepared a manger, and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise.

The man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of Bethlehem.

Thus started the tradition of Churches acting out the Nativity Scene, and eventually other Christmas plays.
But have we become unexcited over the story of Jesus?  Do we think of the babe and become filled with tenderness? Jesus existed before the world was formed yet He stepped down from heaven to become a human baby.  He entered the world in as humble a way as I can imagine.

Some times I think the traditions and the rituals which I love so much have caused me to lose the excitement over the reason for the season.

Prayer:  Lord help my mind and heart to feel the trill of the story of your birth.  Please forgive me for allowing myself to have lost the excitement of your birth.  Help me to find ways to tell the story so others are excited by your birth.

Meditation:  Jesus existed before he came to earth think about what He left to be born of a young woman, in a stable.  A babe to be cared for by its mother.  A child that must grow and learn and be subject to his parents. And then remember He did it for me.  He did it for each individual person on earth so they would have  the opportunity to be reconciled with God.

Action:  Come up with at least one creative way to share the story of Jesus birth.  Something different.

They Will Know You by Your Love
Advent · Uncategorized

They Will Know You by Your Love

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I Love You; You Love Me; We are a great big family.  My daughter loved Barney when she was young.  Horror of horrors if she ever reads this and finds I let out her secret.  But the second advent candle represents Love.  And the Christian love is much like that song.  God loved me; I love Him; He wants me to love all his children so we will be a great big family.
God gave us the ultimate present one night two thousand years ago and He gave it out of love.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus guides us in three areas of love:

1) Love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul

2) Love our neighbor as our self

3) Love our Christian brothers and sisters as Christ loved us.

1 John 4 verses regarding love.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Christ instructed us to love our neighbor, but my understanding of the verses above and the verse in John 13:34-35 is that we are being given a higher command than to love everyone as we love ourselves.  We are being commanded to love as Christ loves and we are not capable of this with our human selfishness.

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

This love as Christ loves is not for everyone but for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are not capable of this level of love on our own.  Only through the Holy Spirit living and working in us can we live out this kind of love.  This love sacrifices self for others.  This love humbles itself to wash the feet of the lowliest member of the family.  This love says I will do without so you can have.  This love does not enable but also does not make excuses for not helping.  This love always has the other’s best interest at heart.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”
Can people tell I am a Christian by my love?

Prayer:  Jesus please fill me with your spirit and help me to love.  I must pray sincere prayers for those who I have trouble loving.

Meditation:  Does my life show love or does it show selfishness?

Action:  Find the people who I know are disciples by their love.  How do I know they love?  Journal what tells me they love.

Christmas Colors Are Christian
Advent · Christmas · Uncategorized

Christmas Colors Are Christian

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Continuing the discussion of the Paradise plays performed on Christmas Eve, the evergreen tree (green) was decorated with apples and white wafers tied to the limbs.

The apples represented the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Was the fruit in the garden an apple? No, but it was the fruit they had available.  The bible does not give us any description of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The fruit represents mans rebellion from God.  Eve wanted to be a god.  She believed Satan’s words and she ate the fruit.  Then she persuaded Adam to do the same.

I find it interesting that the result of their sin was their separating from God.  He walked with them each day, but this time when He came they hid.

God takes the pair and removes them from the garden and allows them to know both Good and Evil in their life. Before they had only known what was good.  Now they knew suffering, pain and death.

Back to our tree.  The actors placed white wafers on the tree.  These were unblessed eucharist to represent Christ whose birthday they would celebrate the next day.  God stepped down from heaven to be born a baby in a stable.  He lived and taught and loved the people around HIm.  Then as a Passover Lamb He was sacraficed to cover the sins of all who trust Him as Lord of their lives.

We now have red, white and green–Christmas.  They would leave the tree up for Christmas day adding sweets and treats for the children to find in the morning.

Meditation

Spend time looking at my life and the times when I am in Rebellion from God.  Look at where I may say the words, but I am not living like I believe him.  Or I want something so I make excuses to justify what I want.

Prayer

Pray for forgiveness of specific sins and ask Christ to help me have true faith–to believe all He has said.

Action

When I see the Christmas colors of red, green and white, I will stop and thank Jesus for stepping down from heaven and for giving HIs life to cover my sins and build a bridge back to Him.

Christ knows your works
Uncategorized

Christ knows your works

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Reading the letters to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

Christ repeats the phrase ” I know your deeds” (or also interpreted works in some translations)

Rev 2:2; Rev 2:19; Rev 3:1; Rev 3:8; Rev 3:15

Christianity stands on the foundation that we are saved by faith.  We trust in the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.  We claim Him as our Lord and Savior.  We know we are sinners and can not work our way to salvation.

But

We are called to good works.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The reality is that our actions, our deeds, the way we spend our time demonstrates what we believe and what we value.  Christ repeats the phrase “I know your deeds” because the way we use the hours and minutes of our day mirror our true beliefs.  The path we take indicates who or what we trust.

You say you believe in prayer, but when faced with a challenge your last action is to say a pleading prayer after all your efforts have failed.  Would your deeds indicate that you believe in prayer.  Given an hour to accomplish a task would you spend the hour in prayer? Two minutes in prayer and 58 minutes working?  Or would you pray and work through the full 60 minutes?

When you know Christ’s teachings are in conflict with something you want, would you say “Well God would want me happy so I am sure He will understand this time.”  And then proceed to satisfy your desires rather than following the teachings of Christ.

Do you worry more about politics and campaigning for a political party then you do sharing the love of Christ?

Do you worry more about securing your financial future than you do about building the Kingdom of Heaven?

Lately, I feel convicted by what my works say about me.  I believe Christ called me to specific works, good works, but I allow all kinds of businesses to fill my days.  I reach the end of each day having raced around but barely touching the things of God.  My deeds show my priorities even if my words would claim different.

What do your deeds say about your beliefs and priorities?

 

 

April · Branch and fruit · Christian. · Spring --Vine Branch Fruit · Uncategorized · Vine · Vine

The Gardener and the Garden of Pleasure

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15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman

Check out the word husbandman and it is translated the farmer.

Our God gardens.  Look at his first project.

After creating the world; he created a garden.
He chose a place east of Eden.  The word eden means delight or pleasure.  There the Lord planted a garden.  The world was created with plants and animals.  He created a man and then he created a special place for him to live. A place so wonderful it’s name was The Garden of Pleasure.  We treat the word pleasure like it is nasty, but pleasure should be pure.  Pleasure comes from enjoying the delights God has given us in the setting He provides.

So what did God plant in the Garden?

Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Then God brought the living animals He created to Adam so He could name them.

Genesis2:19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Then God created the woman to be in the Garden with Adam.

Our Creator loves to fashion what is beautiful.  And in the evenings, God came and spent time one on one with Adam and Eve.

Genesis3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:

Now Jesus in John 15 tells us God is gardening again.  Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and the Father tends the vine to produce fruit.

Striving To Have a Good Reputation For Christ’s Sake
Feast of Stephen · Ireland · March · March 17 · St. Patrick · St. Patrick's Confession · St. Patty's Day · Uncategorized

Striving To Have a Good Reputation For Christ’s Sake

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Patrick discusses how careful he was to protect his reputation so that it would reflect well on Christ.  He did not want anyone to be able say he took money or other benefits based on his position.

They were talking among themselves behind my back, and saying: “Why is this fellow throwing himself into danger among enemies who know not God?” Not from malice, but having no liking for it; likewise, as I myself can testify, they perceived my rusticity. And I was not quick to recognize the grace that was then in me;

I now know that I should have done so earlier.

Now I have put it frankly to my brethren and co-workers, who have believed me because of what I have foretold and still foretell to strengthen and reinforce your faith. I wish only that you, too, would make greater and better efforts. This will be my pride, for “a wise son makes a proud father [Proverbs 10:1; 15:20].

You know, as God does, how I went about among you from my youth in the faith of truth and in sincerity of heart. As well as to the heathen among whom I live, I have shown them trust and always show them trust.

God knows I did not cheat any one of them, nor consider it, for the sake of God and his Church, lest I arouse them and [cause] persecution for them and for all of us, and lest the Lord’s name be blasphemed because of me, for it is written: “Woe to the men through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed.”

For even though I am ignorant in all things, nevertheless I attempted to safeguard some and myself also. And I gave back again to my Christian brethren and the virgins of Christ and the holy women the small unasked for gifts that they used to give me or some of their ornaments which they used to throw on the altar. And they would be offended with me because I did this.

But in the hope of eternity, I safeguarded myself carefully in all things, so that they might not cheat me of my office of service on any pretext of dishonesty, and so that I should not in the smallest way provide any occasion for defamation or disparagement on the part of unbelievers.

What is more, when I baptized so many thousands of people, did I hope for even half a jot from any of them? Tell me, and I will give it back to you. And when the Lord ordained clergy everywhere by my humble means, and I freely conferred office on them, if I asked any of them anywhere even for the price of one shoe, say so to my face and I will give it back

Day 3: Step One
28 Day Love Challenge · February · Love · Uncategorized · Valentines

Day 3: Step One

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Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all mind.

Jesus says this is the most important commandment.

When God means everything to you, when you love him more than anything else in your life then He can use you to serve others.  We say we love God, but is He honestly first in our lives.  We tend to think about God’s love for us.  “God give me what I want.” or “God will understand” or “God would want me happy”.  We spend much less time asking what does God want.  Will I understand if God does not give me what I want?   Will I live a life that brings honor to God even if it means I cannot do the things I want to do?

We know we have moved in the correct direction when our thoughts seek God’s desire.  Do we long to make Him happy?  Think about it.

Heart:     Who is your first love?  Where are your priorities?  Do you find yourself pushing God aside for other people and things?

Mind:     Do you meditate on God’s word?  Are your thoughts centered on God or on the distractions of the world?

Soul:   Is your spirit one with the Holy Spirit?  When a decision arises do you seek direction from Christ?  Do you seek to be one with Christ through the Spirit–like the vine and branch? Are you walking through the day with Him as your guide.

Journal

Do you have the kind of relationship with Christ that can be described as with all you heart, soul and mind?  How would you describe your day to day relationship with God?

Agape Love requires you to be willing to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. You must love God more than the pleasures and comforts of this world.

Activity

Read Matthew 19:16-29 The story of the rich young ruler.  In this story, Jesus asks the young man to sell all he has, give the money to the poor and to follow Jesus.

As you moved through the day, think about what you have.  What would your answer be if Jesus said quit your job, sell your house, give away your retirement?  What do you love more that Jesus? What do you fear losing?