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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). This week we're listening to "O Holy Night" and to a familiar passage from Matthew 11. The title of our current sermon series, The Weary World Rejoices, is a line from the hymn. One of the gifts of our times is the ease with which we can access all kinds of versions of this hymn; so ...
Keep ReadingOcome, O come, Emmanuel,/And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here/Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel/Shall come to thee, O Israel. As a teacher I take attendance every day. However, remote learning has thrown off my record-keeping. On my attendance sheet these days, I've added markers for "video off" and "technology issues" to the ...
Keep ReadingThen Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:34,35). I remember when Mary's part in the Christmas story came alive to me: I was halfway th...
Keep Reading"'For my [Simeon's] eyes have seen your salvation...a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel...And a sword will pierce your [Mary's] soul too'" (Luke 2:30,32,35b). "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, / And ransom captive Israel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel." This is my favorite Christmas carol. I love its beautiful ...
Keep ReadingO come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer/Our spirits by Thine advent here, O drive away the shades of night/And pierce the clouds and bring us light. ("O Come, O Come Emmanuel," 12th century Latin hymn.) Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.He was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). L...
Keep Reading"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" Luke 2:25-35 We are in in-between times, aren't we? In between Thanksgiving and Christmas, in between Election Day and Inauguration Day, in between the start of the pandemic and its longed-for end. Some of us are in between jobs, or in between a diagnosis and a hoped-for cure, in between our desire to be with family and friends and the recommen...
Keep ReadingColossians 3:5-14 In high school I was a member of the marching band, and after summer band camp we were all issued identical uniforms. The uniforms came with standard care instructions and also instructions on how to conduct ourselves when wearing them. The expectations were that we would be at our very best behavior when wearing the uniform. The uniforms identified us a...
Keep ReadingTherefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12, 14) I've been six feet tall since I was 13 years old. I grew up 60 miles from the nearest mall, too, so you can imagine the challe...
Keep ReadingIf ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things upon the earth, for ye are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3 KJV). During one season in my early years as a believer I participated in a small group who worshiped God to the ac...
Keep Reading"Set your minds on things aboveand be thankful" (Colossians 3:2, 15b) When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? (J. Oatman) Has 2020 left you feeling "tempest tossed" and "bear[ing]" much? We don't know how hard this virus ...
Keep Readingyou have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the image of the Creator Therefore, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:9, 10, 12, 14) When it comes to Real ID, we som...
Keep Reading"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.I will be found by you," declares the LORD, " and will bring you back to the placefrom which I carried you into exile" (Jeremiah 29:13-14). Exile is either the end of the road or the place for an unexpected, undeserved new creation. Exile is the loss of everything we've ever known and loved or the place...
Keep ReadingJeremiah 29:1-14 Several years ago I found myself plucked from the only place I had ever lived and dropped into the very last place on earth I would have chosen to move. I prayed some of the most fervent prayers of my life in that place--all of which were along the lines of begging God to, "Please deliver me from this pit of despair!" I guess you can say I empathize with...
Keep Reading"For I know the plans I have for you to prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). How often have I shared that verse with my adult children in difficult times? I can't be alone; I imagine that verse is embroidered on pillows on countless couches and cross-stitched on innumerable pieces of artwork. While I want to remind my kids...
Keep ReadingJeremiah 29:4-14 It's a rather strange saying, isn't it? "Bloom where you're planted." After all, how could you bloom in a place you aren't planted? Which is the point God is making in Jeremiah 29 to those exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. If the people didn't put down roots in Babylon, they couldn't and wouldn't bloom. Right there it sounds like God had a plan to prosp...
Keep ReadingSeek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.Pray to the LORD for it, for if it prospers, you too will prosper (Jeremiah 29:7). Have you noticed? Churches in the United States, and elsewhere throughout the Western world, are finding ourselves more and more in the position of exiles. There's another Real ID marker that we may not be in a...
Keep Reading1 Peter 2:4-12 I will be the first to admit I'm no expert on construction of any kind, but even this novice knows one does not set out to build a house on uneven ground with just one stone. Many stones are needed in the building of a house, and a solid foundation ensures it will last for generations to come. I've been watching the progress of Chatham Church's building si...
Keep Reading"Sinful desireswar against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11) I know sin is bad; of course I know that: I'm a Christian. I know giving in to sinful desires hurts my Savior. I know giving in can hurt my body, my bank account, my friendships, my family. But have I realized giving in engages me in a war against my soul? I don't want any part of that war, so how do I avoid it? One wa...
Keep Reading1 Peter 2:1-16 The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Ingredients blend to make a delicious cake, members form a winning team, notes come together in a touching melody, individual shards create a striking mosaic. "As you come to him, the living stone -- rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him -- you, also, like living stones, are being built int...
Keep ReadingLive such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (I Peter 2:12). Peter was writing to Kingdom of God people living "as aliens and strangers in the world" (v.11). That's us. We once felt at home in the world. Now, with our new identity, we have a new perspective. Now the...
Keep ReadingYou also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual houseto be a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). We've been thinking long and hard about Real ID, what it means to be in Christ, to be crucified with Christ, to continually press on to know and love Jesus more and more, to live together as citizens of our King. Peter will now add an additional true identity marker ...
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