Twelve Days of Christmas

Did you know that the famous Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is now believed by a number of historians to be a hymn incognito? During the reign of England's Queen Elizabeth I, who happened to be a very staunch Protestant, Catholics were not allowed to many of the privileges that once were afforded them. An unknown clever priest found a unique way to teach the essentials of the Catholic faith to Catholic children by disguising their beliefs in a hymn we now know as "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Here is what the symbolism once meant.

True Love gave to me - what God the Father gives to believers.
Partridge in a Pear Tree - Jesus crucified on the cross.
Two Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments.
Three French Hens - Faith, Hope and Love.
Four Calling Birds - Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
Five Gold Rings - The first 5 books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.
Six Geese a Laying - Six days of creation.
Seven Swans a Swimming - Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Eight Maids a Milking - Eight Beatitudes found in Matthew 5.
Nine Ladies Dancing - Nine choirs of angels.
Ten Lords'a Leaping - Ten Commandments.
Eleven Pipers Piping - Eleven Faithful apostles.
Twelve Drummers Drumming - Twelve Articles of the Apostles' Creed.

I hope you think about these twelve gifts of Christmas beginning with Christmas day and the eleven days that follow Christmas. Let it be a time to reflect on the gifts that God has given us, and be thankful. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

- Dennis

What is a Tithe

The first New Testament "Tithing Parable" is told by Jesus in Matthew 25. He tells the story of three men who each receive differing amounts of money from their Master. To one is given $5,000 - to another $2,000 - and yet to another $1,000. The servants who receive the larger amounts double their investment, but the one receiving the least amount simply digs a hole and buries it in the ground, driven mostly be fear and the knowledge that his Master demands much from all his servants. When you read the Master's response in verse 27, he disciplines the servant for not putting his money in the bank to draw interest. The point - the Master demands an interest from how his money is invested.

This is what it means to tithe. A tithe is 10% of what you make given back to God. God commands us to tithe our 10% and live only on 90% of what we earn, which is a more explicit way of saying that God demands interest from the money we are given to invest: and all the money we make is possible only because of the God-given skills and abilities we are given by God with which to make money. Hence, it all is God's. What matters is that we return the interest - 10% - back to God when we make money. So, how can we practice the tithe in a practical manner? There are diverse views.

Some churches teach that all 10% of our tithe should go to your local church, and anything you give beyond that 10% is real giving and should be to chartible causes. Other churches, like the United Methodist Church, advocate splitting your 10% tithe between church and charity, but how you split it is up to you. Still, the Roman Catholic church advocates more explicit direction - 5% to church and 5% to charity. This is often called the "Catholic Tithe". My advice, as a United Methodist pastor, is to invoke 2 Cor 9:7 and make up your own mind on what you give-giving cheerfully.

In today's economy it is difficult for people to give what they do not have, and some cannot tithe due to economic restraints and expenses that outweigh revenues. In the body of Christ, those who can help those who cannot; so in your church, where ever you worship, if you can give more than what is required, do so; so that you may help make up the difference for those who cannot do what is required.

That is not fair - you say! God never said life is fair. God did tell us to bear one another's burden and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

Jesus Wept.

Perhaps one of the most powerful verses in all of the Bible is one with the fewest words, found in John 11:35 where it says, "Jesus wept." The statement is in reference to Jesus' visit with Mary and Martha to see Lazarus. Word had come to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, and when Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had already died. When Jesus went to see the tomb, he found Mary and her friends weeping, and when Jesus saw this, he was deeply moved, and wept with them.

Often when this story is referenced attention is given to the display of Jesus power when he raised Lazarus from the dead. Some even see this event as a foreshadowing of the story's upcoming events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. But don't let get lost the emotion that ocurrs before Jesus display of power. Jesus had great emotion and he wept. Jesus was not only a man of great intellect and wisdom, who taught as one who had real authority. Like us, Jesus felt deeply about people.

To know Jesus is to know him with your heart, in that places where emotions run deep. Today, I encourage you the read the story of Lazarus' healing in John 11. When you do, read it with your heart and not just your mind. If you do, then you too may weep as you read, and a whole new meaning may emerge when you read Jesus' words, "I am the resurrection and the life."

How To Be Perfect

I've just started a new book that came out this year in 2011 written by Daniel M. Harrell called, "How to Be Perfect". It tells the story of 19 members from Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts who joined with their pastor in a month of obedience, living the life of faith as outlined in the O.T. book of Leviticus. What an experiment that must have proved. I'm looking forward to finshing the book. There is one comment I ran across on page 111 where the author Harrell writes, "To obey God's commands is to be like God." I found this both inspiring, challenging, and interesting. In the creation stories, the presumption of human sin is in our desire to believe we can be as God. There is a difference between "as" and "like".

To be "as" someone is to assume you can be that person. To be "like" someone is to try and imitate that person. When Jesus said to "be holy as God is holy" he was commanding us to be like God, to let our character reflect his holiness; but always with the knowledge that God is God, and we are God's creation. Too many of us live as if we are the god of their own lives, but too few of us live as if we are striving to be like God. Let the Holy Spirit be at work in all of us. Perhaps the words of our Communion liturgy will have more power when we say - "make this bread and cup be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood." We can learn how to live like Jesus - in grace.

Dennis

One Wish

Perhaps you have heard the story about a man who found a lamp on a deserted beach. He rubbed the lamp on its side and out popped a genie. The genie told him that normally he had three wishes to grant, but two of them had already been used up. He had only one last wish to grant. The man thought, then asked for the New York Times Paper - stocks update edition, dated one year from today. The genie said, "Granted" and the genie disappeared and in place of the genie was a copy of the New York Times dated one year later. The man turned to the stock section and said to himself, "Now that I know what stocks will be a year from now, I can make my investment now and be rich in just one year." The man was feeling pretty good about his wish until he dropped the paper by accident. When he bent down to pick the paper up something had caught his attention that made him stare in disbelief. The paper had fallen open to the obituary section, and the man's name was on the top of the page. Life is ironic to say the least, but it does give new meaning to Proverbs 3:5 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

What Do You Think About?

Perhaps you are familiar with Descartes famous quote, "I think therefore I am." This quote reminds us that what we become grows from the seeds of what we think. Much of what comes out of our mouth, along with the values we embrace, is first shaped by what we spend our time on in thought and meditation. Perhaps this is why we find Philippians 4:8 to read, "Beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." In time, what you think will find a translation in how you choose to live. For years, we know that our physiological systems are a product of our food. Hence, we really are what we eat. This is no less true for a soul than for a body. We are what we think. Let's know what we should put our minds on. It can make all the difference in the kind of world we help to build for ourselves and for others.

Dennis

Thought on "Heaven is for Real"

I've been reading the book, Heaven is For Real, by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. It's a fascinating book, based on a true story of a four year old boy who,during an emergency,falls into an unconscious state, and when he awakens, says he has been to heaven and back. It is a fascinating read and not complicated. No matter what you think of the book, its worth your time to read. For some, they will read the book with doubt and skepticism; while others will read it for inspiration and hope. As for me, what I found most intriguing about the book is the one constant phrase the little boy kept coming back to in saying, "Jesus really cares about the children." Interesting that this comes from the voice of one who is a child himself. I'm sure everybody will have a different take on it, but for me, I like to think this affirms the amazing, personal love that God has for each person. The creator of the cosmos loves each one of us. God really does. Perhaps the key is in what Jesus said in Matthew 19:14, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them,for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Maybe the key to knowing God is in learning to become like children - or to put it another way - to become his child once again.

Dennis

Perfect Love

Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 to "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." It appears at first glance that Jesus is asking us to do the impossible. After all, human perfection is an oxymoron. The problem is that we tend to interpret every verse in the Bible as if it requires immediate gratification, but much of scripture is written to show direction in life, and what we are called to become is often more gradual in nature than instantaneous in act. This truth is most evident when we speak of our salvation in God's way.

In John Wesley's "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" he writes, "Neither dare we affirm, as some have done,that all this salvation is given at once. There is indeed an instantaneous as well as gradual work of God in his children; and there wants not,we know,a cloud of witnesses who have received in one moment, either a clear sense of the forgiveness of their sins, or the abiding witness of the Holy Spirit. But we do not know a single instance, in any place, of a person's receiving, in one and the same moment,remissions of sin, the abiding witness of the Spirit, and a new, a clean heart."

Wesley's point is that it takes a new and clean heart to grow in perfect love, and this perfection is a gradual work and takes a lifetime to achieve, but the joy is in the journey. As you further your walk with a risen Savior, ask God to make your love for him perfect. It won't happen overnight, but if we commit ourselves to the task of loving God and loving our neighbor as we are called to love ourselves, then we will once again rediscover the joy of falling in love - falling in love with God and with his call to love ourselves and one another in grace. We can not be perfect like God, but we can grow in his perfected love.

Dennis

Just say "Thank You"

As of today, we are in day 7 since we lost power last week due to the extreme storms that plummeted our area with high winds,hail and tornadoes. My wife and I were fortunate in that we only lost power. Our house was not damaged, no trees down, and we have given thanks for small little blessings like gas operated water heaters. Our inconvenience is nothing when compared to the destruction of private propetry and the loss of human life that occured last week. Our prayers continue to go out to all individuals and families impacted by this terrible storm.

Now is the time to show patience and gratitude as well as prayer. The service crews continue to work around the clock as they chop up and remove down trees as well as repair broken power lines. As the days drag on, it is easy to complain about what is not done "at our house" when you see the lights on at "the other house". Let's not become self-centered in time of clean-up. Service crews are doing all they can, working as hard as they can, for everyone's benefit. So, please say "thank you" when you see a service crew today. Say a prayer of thanks for all they are doing for us. Just say "thank you".

Dennis

Palm Sunday

Holy Week has arrived, and it begins with Palm Sunday, the day that celebrates Jesus entry into the holy city of Jerusalem, riding upon a donkey. Much has been made about this dramatic action as a deliberate claim to Jesus' messiahship, but it is possible Jesus had another intention in mind. One of the dark days of ancient Jewish history came around 175 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes captured Jerusalem. He was determined to replace Judaism with Greek culture, so he deliberately profaned the Temple by burning pigs flesh on its altar and making sacrifices to Zeus, even turning the Temple into public brothels. It wasn't until the Maccabees rose against him that the Jews reclaimed their Temple and restored it. In 2 Maccabees 10:7 the rejoicing of that day is described as people carrying ivy-wreathed wands, branches and palms. On that day the people carried their palm branches. From all appearance Jesus had reenacted that day when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Why?

Perhaps Jesus was giving a warning - that he had come to cleans the Temple, not unlike what happened when the Jews reclaimed it and restored it under the Maccabean revolt. Consider what happened when Jesus entered the Temple following the entry, and drove out the money changers saying, "It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers." - Matthew 21:13 By saying this Jesus was referencing their attention to Jerermiah 7:11. The point of the cleansing is that it took place in the Court of the Gentiles, where Gentiles were supposed to come and discern God in prayer. All this leads me to a question: What will people find in our churches when they come this Easter? Will they find a house of prayer where they can connect with God? What they find may depend on the people they sit next to in the pew. As you prepare for Easter this holy week, remember what is written in Hebrews 10:25 - "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Shaking Your Bucket

Years ago I heard someone say, "No one is expendable. We all can be replaced. If you want to know the truth, just put your fist in a bucket of water, and the hole that is left when you pull your fist out, is how much you will be missed." When I first heard this I thought "how true." Of course, we will all be missed by some people when we leave our buckets in life, but in time, the hole becomes filled and new personalities ride toward the next sunrise. But lest we begin to feel that we have little value, just remember, no one can shake the bucket like you can. We all have our own unique way of shaking our presence in the water buckets of life. The real question is - what will we do with the time we have while shaking the bucket?

In his booklet, Live to Make a Difference, Max Lucado writes, "No one else has your version. You'll never bump into yourself on the sidewalk. You'll never meet anyone who has your exact blend of lineage, loves, and longings. Your life will never be lived by anyone else. Life is racing by, and it's not enough for you to do well. You want to do good. You want your life to matter. You want to live in such a way that the world will be glad you did." The point of it all is that you can make a difference with the life you've been given, and you can make that difference in a way that no one else can; and it begins with the people who walk into your life on each given day. Many want to change the world, but it starts one person at a time.

Why not try shaking your bucket today and share the water of a good smile, a warm handshake, or even an encouraging word. Then, if you are really brave, try saying a prayer for those you meet, or sharing your witness so that they might discover the living water that will never leave their buckets dry again. God works in mysterious ways, and you might want to consider who God will send your way to fill your bucket.

Dennis

What's In Your Dirt?

One of the many metaphors Jesus used when he spoke of the kingdom of heaven was the image of buried treasure. It was not uncommon for people in Jesus' day to experience the reality of discovering buried treasure while plowing their fields. The middle east was a battleground in the ancient world between foriegn invaders who used the land as a highway to move from East to West. As John Claypool writes in his book on "Stories Jesus Still Tells" ... "People who had to live through foriegn invasions soon learned that the earth was the only safe place to protect their possessions. The folk who took such precautions were often killed themselves, so their treasures remained in the earth, only to be discovered accidentally by someone else." I think it is interesting that many treasures were discovered by people who were at work in their own dirt, making the discovery purely by accident. What if God's grace can be discovered in similar ways? We live in a world where people try to find God's grace in places other than their work, but what if grace is in the dirt of our lives? Think about it the next time work gets really dirty. Your mind may be on your work, but underneath it all, there lies buried a treaure for you. God is at work in the dirt.

Dennis

Change in Worship Hours

Recently the Church Council voted, effective May 1, to move the OASIS contemporary service from its 8:45 am hour on Sunday mornings to the 11:00 am hour on Sundays. OASIS will continue to worship in the fellowship hall. Along with this move, the formal, traditional service in our sanctuary will move from its 10:45 am hour on Sunday mornings to the 11:00 am hour on Sundays; thus offering both our OASIS and Traditional Worship at the same hour, side by side. Early worship in the sanctuary will remain at the 9:00 am hour with Sunday school at 9:45 am.

The reason for this change is to offer our two largest worship services at an hour when most people are likely to come. It is also true the having worship servcies on the hour is more visitor friendly, whereas services that begin at odd times tend to serve the interests of our members, and not visitors or guests. Please take note that these changes will not take place until May 1. I truly believe that worship is the most important thing we do together as the body of Christ. Be it contemporary or traditional, early or late; may God you when you worship in spirit and in truth.

Dennis

Blessed are the Meek, for they Shall Inherit the Earth

Matthew 5:5 gives us Jesus' beaitutde on meekness, but it’s not popular to be meek. Whenever we hear that word associated with anyone, we think of a person who is spineless, submissive, and afraid. However, when Jesus used that word he was referring the term as it was used in ancient Greek, when meekness was one of the great ethical words of its day. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle defined virtues as the medium between two extremes. For example, he placed the virtue of generosity between the extremes of a tightwad and a spendthrift. In terms of the word, “meek” Aristotle placed it between the extremes of excessive anger and too little anger. Jesus obviously had Aristotle’s perspective in mind when he spoke this beatitude, and the Scottish theologian William Barclay accurately translates this verse as … “Blessed are those who are angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time.”
When is the right time, and wrong time, to be angry? If we follow Jesus further in his great sermon, the latter part of Matthew 5 gives us a clue. Those who are called to love their enemies, to go two miles instead of one mile, and to pray for those who persecute them, should never get angry over personal insult. It is right to get angry at injuries and injustices done to other people. As William Barclay writes, “Selfless anger can be one of the great moral dynamics of the world.” May God bless you with the wisdom to know the difference between the right time and wrong time to get angry.

Dennis

In a Jan 2 devotional found in the 1985 Daily Guideposts, author Zona B. Davis writes about the power of words. She says ...

The 6 most important words are ... "I admit I made a mistake"
The 5 most important words are ... "You did a good job"
The 4 most important words are ... "What is your opinion?"
The 3 most important words are ... "If you please"
The 2 most important words are ... "Thank you"
The 1 most important word is ... "We"
The LEAST importnat words is ... "I"

Proverbs 10:19 says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, be he who holds his tongue is wise." Perhaps when it comes to words, less is more, but when you do need to speak, choose your words well. Today, may God bless you with the abundance of silence and the wisdom of a few good words.

Dennis