When looking at the Christmas narrative, the supernatural events surrounding Jesus’ birth dominate our focus. As we read the beginning of the gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is very easy to freeze Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, the Magi, and Herod into two-dimensional characters witnessing angelic messages and spirit-filled dreams. It is helpful to remember that they were flesh and blood people and that most of their life details are not recorded in Scripture. How do they deal with God’s unfolding plan for their lives?
Mary and Joseph were betrothed. They were anticipating a married life together and the hopeful blessings of a future family when God intervened. Mary will bear the Son of God and Joseph will raise the child as his own. The shepherds were living and working in the fields. Considered ceremonially unclean because of their work, they had come to terms with their limited and low status in society when God intervened. The angelic proclamation of the birth of Jesus is given to these men and they are brought near to the Son of God in worship. Three astrologers in the East are looking for the sign of the Messiah, and then one ordinary day, they find that God has arrived. The Magi immediately travel to Bethlehem and see the young Jesus and offer worship and extravagant gifts because they recognize God has entered time and space. The question before us is not whether God will intervene in our lives, but rather how we respond when He does. Life just doesn’t turn out as we would plan, but that is very often when God reveals His presence. Relationships are broken; cancer ravages a loved one; good friends move far away; children and parents lock in conflict. When God interrupts our lives, do we react by wrestling in faith with his providence, seeking his love and trusting his fatherly care? As Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Magi learned, no life works out as expected, but the Lord is at work. This Christmas, take the hopes and fears of all your years to God. He will meet you.
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A few minutes on Facebook or in front of a TV and you quickly notice how hyper our descriptive language has become. A recipe has to be AMAZING!, a performance of a song is the MOST EPIC VERSION you have ever heard, and TV shows proclaim that the upcoming episode is the one THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING! I understand the need for a product to stand out among others, but when carpet cleaners, stunt videos, and dog tricks are AWESOME we are left feeling flat when we speak of the awesome God of the Bible. The Christian books designed to challenge and grow our faith fall victim to this temptation as well and, of course, I am guilty of it too. How do we dial ourselves back and speak of things with an appropriate perspective? Michael Horton, professor of Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, has recognized this trend and some of the heart issues behind it. He has written a book to help us process this dilemma. I greatly enjoyed reading his book on worship, A Better Way, and I look forward to reading his new book or-di-nar-y which is available today. Here is what Amazon says about it: Radical. Crazy. Transformative and restless. Every word we read these days seems to suggest there’s a “next-best-thing,” if only we would change our comfortable, compromising lives. In fact, the greatest fear most Christians have is boredom—the sense that they are missing out on the radical life Jesus promised. One thing is certain. No one wants to be “ordinary.”
Yet pastor and author Michael Horton believes that our attempts to measure our spiritual growth by our experiences, constantly seeking after the next big breakthrough, have left many Christians disillusioned and disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with an energetic faith; the danger is that we can burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. What’s needed is not another program or a fresh approach to spiritual growth; it’s a renewed appreciation for the commonplace. Far from a call to low expectations and passivity, Horton invites readers to recover their sense of joy in the ordinary. He provides a guide to a sustainable discipleship that happens over the long haul—not a quick fix that leaves readers empty with unfulfilled promises. Convicting and ultimately empowering,Ordinary is not a call to do less; it’s an invitation to experience the elusive joy of the ordinary Christian life. Keith and Kristyn Getty have just released a limited edition 7 track EP called The Greengrass Sessions. In addition to writing excellent hymns for worship, the Gettys continue to explore a musical connection that I find fascinating: the musical DNA shared by Irish Folk/Fiddle music and the Appalachian folk tradition. Much of the Appalachian folk, bluegrass, and early country music grew out of the styles brought to America by the immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. You can hear this most clearly in their rendition of Arkansas Traveller / All Hail the Power and their new arrangement of their hymn Lift High the Name of Jesus. My favorite track is the recording of their new song My Worth Is Not in What I Own, co-written with Graham Kendrick. This modern hymn strikes at the heart of our 21st century society and at the idols of materialism and status in my own heart. This track and the entire EP is exclusively available at their website. My Worth is Not in What I Own
My worth is not in what I own Not in the strength of flesh and bone But in the costly wounds of love At the cross My worth is not in skill or name In win or lose, in pride or shame But in the blood of Christ that flowed At the cross Refrain: I rejoice in my Redeemer Greatest Treasure, Wellspring of my soul I will trust in Him, no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone. As summer flowers we fade and die Fame, youth and beauty hurry by But life eternal calls to us At the cross I will not boast in wealth or might Or human wisdom's fleeting light But I will boast in knowing Christ At the cross Two wonders here that I confess My worth and my unworthiness My value fixed - my ransom paid At the cross By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Graham Kendrick © 2014 Getty Music Publishing and Make Way Music (admin by MusicServices.org) David cries out in Psalm 6: O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. "My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long (Psalm 6:1-3)? How do we go to the Lord with our pain, questions, and complaints? Not easily, if at all. The pattern for the language of lament is evident throughout the psalms and much of scripture, yet we find it difficult to talk with God in these terms. Phillip Yancey has written much about suffering and doubt in the Christian life. He acknowledges that there are times in our lives when the whys of suffering have no apparent answer. His response is that often the best answer to why is actually a who - Jesus and his finished work on the cross. Our newest song for worship is a Red Mountain retuning of a Gadsby hymn. It tells of Jesus' cry of victory on the cross: It is Finished! When we despair over our own sin - remember...It is Finished. The debt has been paid. When we seek to contribute to our salvation - remember...It is Finished. When we are tempted to think that God loves us less because we failed today - remember...It is Finished. When we are overwhelmed by the suffering and pain we or others face - REMEMBER. It is Finished. Hark, the voice of love and mercy, sounds aloud from Calvary!
See, it rends the rocks asunder, shakes the earth and veils the sky! “It is finished, It is finished,” Hear the dying Savior cry. “It is finished, It is finished,” Hear the dying Savior cry. “It is finished,” O what pleasure, do these charming words afford. Heav’nly blessings, without measure, flow to us from Christ the Lord. “It is finished, it is finished,” Saints the dying words record. “It is finished, it is finished,” Saints the dying words record. Finished all the types and shadows of the ceremonial law; Finished all that God had promised; Death and hell no more shall awe. “It is finished, it is finished,” Saints from hence your comfort draw. “It is finished, it is finished,” Saints from hence your comfort draw. Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs; Join to sing the pleasing theme; Saints on earth and all in heaven, Join to praise Immanuel’s name. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Glory to the bleeding lamb! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Glory to the bleeding lamb! |
AuthorAnthony is the Director of Worship and Communications at Arden Presbyterian Church in NC. Recommended WebsitesRecommended Music for WorshipKeith & Kristyn Getty
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October 2018
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