Dead Man

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Col 2:8-15.

 

    There was once an extremely fascinating and bizarre coronation held in Russia.  This special event was held for Czar Peter III and Empress Catherine.  They were afforded a splendid affair that lasted for weeks.  Peter was carried through the streets from the Convent of Saint Alexander Nevsky to the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.  As priests chanted, the czar ascended to the throne and was presented with the imperial crown.  Catherine was at his side the whole time.

    It all sounds very regal and impressive, an occasion that any king or ruler would be proud to be a part of - but there was something very unusual about this elaborate coronation.  At the time it happened both Peter and Catherine were dead.  When Empress Catherine had died, her son Paul commanded that his father's body be exhumed, and that the otherwise undistinguished Petter III be placed on his throne to receive the crown he'd been denied during his life.  A dead man was crowned as czar of all Russia.

    It all sounds very foolish to us now, but let me ask you a question: Is there a dead man on your throne?  If we don't allow Jesus to occupy the throne of our lives, he won't sit on it.  Jesus never forces himself on us or makes us do anything against our will.  Not that he won't do all he can to get our attention, but he leaves our free will alone.  The King of kings and Lord of lords works hard to lead and guide us, but we individually choose where we're going.  Whether we allow our "old man" to have control or we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit within us determines our success as Christians.  The strength or weakness of our daily faith walk with Yahweh is directly related to the amount of control we take for ourselves.

    When we take the controls of our lives we're always headed for trouble, especially when we try to show off.  I'm sure most of you have seen this bumper sticker: "God is my co-pilot."  If you agree with that statement you're on your way to trouble, you're way off track spiritually.  Jesus is supposed to be the pilot, the navigator, and the president of the airline.  Sometimes he lets us fly the plane, but he always is the one in control, you know, the sovereign Lord of all.

    If Jesus is only the co-pilot, he's sitting in the wrong seat.  If he's only the co-pilot, that means we're still in charge.  If he's only the co-pilot, our throne is occupied by a dead man.  We must never put Jesus in second place, he's to be our Lord and Master.  We serve him, he doesn't serve us.  Yes, we have free will and he will allow us to use it whenever we push for it.  But never forget that he's the Sovereign Lord of all things and he controls all the outcomes.  We can cooperate with him and see his Kingdom built and his honor and glory lifted up.  Or we can use our free will and find ourselves in rebellion and in danger of missing out on eternity in heaven with our Savior.

    Rom 6:11 exhorts us: "In the same way, count yourself DEAD to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."  The word dead is nekros, meaning a corpse or as good as dead.  We've been given new life through accepting the cleansing and salvation found in the sacrifice of Jesus.  We're supposed to be dead to the power of sin while we live resurrection life.  We're changed, we're not supposed to be hung up in the flesh, but alive in the Spirit.  Resurrection life is from heaven, it's eternal and everlasting.  Yahweh is its source and the goal we should be aiming for is to spend eternity living out this amazing reality.

 

    Making Jesus our Lord is an extremely important part of this.  It's not something that we can ignore and get by without.  The Greek word we translate as Lord means - Supreme in Authority, the Controller.  It's our decision whether or not Jesus is allowed to be our controller.  Think about this: Would you rather have an imperfect, unreliable human in charge of your life, or the perfect and totally faithful and loving Lord of Glory?  Witchcraft's basis is found in trying to control and manipulate people.  It's the opposite of allowing Jesus to control us.  We don't need to practicing witchcraft on ourselves, trying to control things or even allowing someone else to control us.  We need to trust that our Sovereign Lord knows exactly what he's doing because he designed us and the world we live in.  Obeying him allows us to receive what's best for us.

    When we try to control our own lives we run into private religion.  Yahweh never said we could pick and choose the rules and laws we'd prefer to follow.  Our Father in heaven isn't running a Chinese restaurant.  There's no picking and choosing from a variety of options.  When we try to choose for ourselves we're living according to humanistic philosophy.  When we make all the decisions about what's best for us, we shut out the omniscient (all-knowing) God of the Universe.  How can we know what's better for us than our Creator?  It's absolute foolishness to believe that Yahweh doesn't understand our needs or desires when he's our designer and knows exactly how he created us.

    The people in Israel got into trouble for building personal altars.  Yahweh's clear instruction was for them to worship only in Shiloh or Jerusalem depending  on when each was the center of worship.  But some of them felt it was too far to go, or that this rule seemed too restrictive, or that they could worship him better right at home.  They built personal altars in defiance of a direct command from their God.  It's a lot like the folks who'd rather stay at home and watch their favorite TV ministry, complaining about how hard it is to make the effort to get to church.  The major reason our Father wants us to worship together is for the fellowship.  He knows we need fellowship and the encouragement of others.

 

    Yahweh is very explicit in his Word when it comes to who's in charge of our lives.  He wants to be number one, and he'll jealously guard that position.  Isa 42:8 says, "I am Yahweh; that is my name!  I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols."  If he's not allowed to hold first place, he'll let us receive what we deserve just like he did with the nation of Israel.  And often what we deserve is the direct fruit of our unspiritual behavior, not necessarily a direct punishment from him.  The consequences of our sin is often painful enough without our Father adding to it.  Christians can get themselves into deep trouble by making decisions outside of Yahweh's sovereign control.  Doing that puts us outside his will.  Removing him from headship/Lordship places us outside his protection.  Don't allow a dead man to sit on the throne of your life.  You'll find that things will really stink if you do.

    Yahweh will allow a person to start his own cult, if they really want to.  A cult is defined as a religious group which teaches doctrines or beliefs which deviate from the broad consensus of orthodox Christian teaching.  Cults most often deal in half-truths and distortions.  Attending the Church of the Good Old Boys in the Woods or the Church of I Can Worship God Anywhere is a perversion of Yahweh's truth.  Not attending any church because they all have problems is to be cultish, too.  The idea that we can somehow find Yahweh other than in the places he has told us to look is from the pit of Hell.  It's a doctrine of demons, and all too easily bought into by humanistic reasoning.

    We all need to regularly evaluate our belief system against the Word of our Lord.  Doing a regular checkup to determine if we're still in line with the Bible is healthy.  A little preventive maintenance can keep us from a major repair job.  If we find ourselves straying from the clear Word of God, we need to get back in line or we'll wander into the Deadman Zone.  It's a dangerous place we must avoid at all costs, because it's a place of death.  We need to be striving to stay in places where life is available instead of spending time in the wilderness of sin and death.

    But we humans seem to have a fascination with death.  We use the word in various forms in our language, no matter what that language is.  If I get caught, I'll just die.  I'm dying to meet the new pastor.  I'm dying for a drink.  We have dead batteries, fires that die, and people in trouble are sometimes called dead meat.  HOW ABOUT DYING FOR JESUS?

    This week across America people will be reveling in death, celebrating Halloween.  It's a time of glorifying ghosts and evil spirits.  It's a time of watching movies filled with death and destruction.  People will be excited by being "scared to death."  None of this glorifies our Father in heaven or our Lord Jesus.  The only death we should be excited about is the one which will place us in the direct presence of our loving Father in heaven.  Psalm 116:15 says, "Blessed in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints."

 

    The worldly Christian isn't concerned about the things "that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet 1:3).  When the dead man is in control your life will be characterized by spiritual indifference, instability, and lack of discipline.  When we begin to give lip service to Yahweh's truth and ignore anything of real substance we're in the dead zone.  The solid Christian life requires personal effort.  Being alive in Christ doesn't happen by accident.  It happens on purpose - when we purpose in our hearts to live a life that honors and glorifies our Savior and Lord.

    Gal 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."  If you're holding back areas of your life from your Lord's influence and control you're not living in his will.  The dead man has no place on your throne if you know Jesus as Savior.  Remove him, remove the stink of decaying flesh, and let your Lord have his rightful place.

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike

The Back to Egypt Commitee (10-18-10)

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Luke 9:57-62.

 

    The three men mentioned here called Jesus "Lord," but none of them did what he told them.  When the first man heard of possible hardships, it appears he was unwilling to deny himself for Kingdom purposes.  The second man is shown as being overly concerned with a funeral, instead of Kingdom business.  The third man had his eyes in the wrong direction, looking at worldly goods instead of Kingdom rewards.  The emphasis of the three men appears to be "me first."  This automatically disqualifies them when they're faced with the tough conditions of discipleship.

    The first man told Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go."  Jesus responds by telling him it could be a rough road, one with tough conditions.  When they traveled there wouldn't be reservations at the best inns.  When they visited other towns and areas of Judea, they could end up sleeping outdoors.  There was no promise of first-class accomodations because the world didn't recognize King Jesus.  So Jesus confronted this man with the cost of discipleship, not the comforts.

    The second man wants to go bury his father before following Jesus.  Modern believers often misunderstand this situation.  Jesus isn't telling him he can't go to his father's funeral, he just wanted him to focus more on Kingdom work.  What the man is saying is that he needs to go care for his father until his death.  His father isn't dead yet.  The man wanted to wait until after he received his inheritance to follow Jesus.  But when it comes to discipleship, family is supposed to come after Yahweh's will.  Jesus claims first place in our lives, and tells us we can depend on him for our needs.

    The third applicant for Kingdom service wanted some time off to go and say farewell to his loved ones.  He was showing himself to be somewhat half-hearted.  He wanted to be a disciple, as long as he didn't have to make any major sacrifices.  He didn't understand the urgency, the importance of the mission he was asking to participate in.  If we're going to plow straight and true lines with the Gospel we need to be looking forward.  Every time we look back with longing to people and things we were attached to, we lose sight of our focus point and make crooked lines.

 

    These three men should cause all of us to consider our motives for following Jesus.  What makes us want to be Christians?  Too many folks are just trying to avoid hell instead of signing up for Kingdom service.  Do we really understand the requirements placed on us when we begin to follow Jesus?  You did notice that it said "requirements," and that does mean things you need to do.  Are we ready to go forward, on to the next mission?  There's always work to be done for our Lord's Kingdom.  We're to be thoughtful people, not blind followers.  We should be doing all we can to understand why we're on the narrow path following our Savior and Lord.  Maybe we need to sing this old song occassionally to remind ourselves of a major truth: "Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe."

    There are plenty of examples in the Bible to show us how fickle we humans can be.  The Israelites in the Desert of Sin showed a great lack of appreciation for what Yahweh had done for them when they left Egypt.  In this appropriately named place they forgot Yahweh's mercy and provision.  The people criticized Moses and murmured against Almighty God.  They're only weeks away from having miraculously crossied the Red Sea, and they wanted to go back to Egypt, where things were supposedly better.  Now that's a tough place to be in.

    We act the same way when we forget what Yahweh has done for us in the past.  But often we have a different slant on this.  It's not that we don't remember what he's done for us, it's that we don't necessarily trust him to do it again.  Instead of growing in faith with each new encounter we have with our Lord and Savior, we all too often need a fresh word or a new insight or another dose of his goodness before we're ready to step out in faith again.

 

    "Is God really here or not?"  Sometimes life causes us to ask that very same question along with the Israelites.  We feel beat up by the problems in our homes, on our jobs, with our families and neighbors.  We wonder where Yahweh is in all these difficult circumstances.  We complain to him about not having what we want and expect, or how he's not working on our timetable.  And yet, our Father continues to provide for us on a daily basis.  We're too much like the Israelites in the wilderness when we forget the miracles Yahweh has done on our behalf and wonder where today's miracle is.

    No, Yahweh doesn't always respond when or how or where we want his blessings to appear.  But whatever gave us the idea that this is how the Lord God Almighty works?  Yahweh will respond when he knows it's best for us, in his perfect will and timing.  How many of our churches are limping along because we'd rather look at what's behind us?  "Oh, I remember what a good time we used to have, back in the good old days.  Our children were in church with us and that was the place to be."

    How about a reality check?  "Back in the good old days" there weren't as many choices about what to do or where to go.  You could plan a Bible study for just about any night of the week, because there wasn't dance or soccer or American Idol to interfere or compete with.  Today the Church has lots of competition.  There are so many distractions to deal with in modern lives.  Too many of our churches are doing ministry with a 1950's & 60's mentality and haven't realized that things have changed quite a bit since then.

    Yes, there were more youth in our churches back in the "good old days."  Where else could they go?  During the 50's & 60's there weren't any computers or video games or satellite TV's.  There was no "hanging out" with your friends at the mall.  The distractions that our youth have today are many and somewhat overwhelming.  Having worship services on Sunday mornings was the thing to do back in those days because not a whole lot of anything else happened before noon on Sunday.  There weren't that many stores open.  There weren't practices or games for the baseball, basketball, or soccer leagues to interfere with church.

    Our Back to Egypt Committees need to reminded of some scripture.  Ecc 7:10 says, "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'  For it is not wise to ask such a question."  Yahweh wants us to look forward toward the blessings he has in store for us.  Ahead of us is a place full of new opportunities, new perspectives, and new challenges.  And best of all, the constant presence of our great and mighty God is there.  We'll eventually get to spend the rest of eternity with the one who loves and cares for us so dearly.

 

    Some people stubbornly cling to the idea that if we're not doing something, not constantly in motion, then somehow we're not being effective.  We've bought into this notion so prevalent in our culture that appearing to be busy is synonymous with having value and worth.  If we can just keep enough multi-tasking activity going, somehow good things will result.  We seem to have a world desperately in need of rest and relaxation, but unwilling to stop their "busyness" because they have an over-inflated opinion of how important what they're doing is.

    We Christians don't need to be like these people, or be so influenced by our society's expectations.  It's not just about being busy.  It's about being solid disciples of Jesus Christ.  We need to allow ourselves to learn the power of being focused on the mission.  If our leaders are seeking the guidance of our Lord, and we're prayerfully supporting them, we'll have rightly focused Kingdom work going on.  We and our churches and our communities would be greatly blessed by the power of truly Spirit-focused planning and leadership.

    What would happen if we began to see our calling as not so much about doing things according to our agendas, but as making ourselves more available to Yahweh's leadership?  We'll ultimately live and die, not by what we can do for ourselves, but by our willingness to live in the light of the grace that's already offered in abundance.  If our churches were run according to the ongoing direction of the Holy Spirit, our focus would be in the right place.  We've got to stop trying to duplicate what was because we enjoyed that time so well.  We need new experiences.  We need new things to be joyful about.  We need to follow our Lord Jesus wherever he leads us and quit telling him that we don't do whatever it is he's telling us we should be doing.

 

    So first, don't let the cares of this world keep you from following Jesus.  Being his disciples means puuting aside our desires and taking up his cross.  Don't tell your Lord how you're going to follow him.  Ask for direction and obediently perform the tasks given to you.  There's a church sign with a powerful message we need to be reminded of or reprimanded by: Most Christians truly want to serve their Lord Jesus... But only as advisors.

    And second, don't let the "good old days" keep you from making the current ones good, too.  Being the Church of Jesus Christ means taking on new challenges, meeting the needs of the current generation in a way that touches and blesses them.  We should be excited about fresh new outlooks, instead of wanting to excommunicate anyone who tries to change things.  Yahweh didn't make us with eyes in the back of our heads.  He put them in the front so we'd be looking forward, and that's where true vision always is - ahead of us!

    Don't sell yourself short.  Yahweh has placed you in the body of believers you belong to for a purpose.  The major purpose is to win souls for his Kingdom and then to help them become disciples.  If we all work together to bring about the purposes and will of Yahweh, then someday our young people will have good memories about the past, too.  But don't live in the past, just visit from time to time and enjoy blessings your Father gave you.  Don't be longing to go back to Egypt, be excited about entering the Promised Land and establishing Yahweh's Kingdom for your generation and the ones to come.

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike

Women in Ministry‏

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Gal 3:26-28.

 

    There's an awful lot of controversy over whether or not women should be allowed as pastors or in other leadership positions in the Church.  A lot of that stems from some disputed meanings of only a couple of verses.  I believe there's a view that is much more balanced, where we find Yahweh waiting for us.  One of the problems we face in properly dealing with this issue is a thing called "selective literalism."  When we use this thought process we pick and choose the Bible passages we want to apply literally, loudly proclaiming certain verses while ignoring the ones we don't like or that don't fit our theology.

    I've personally struggled over this issue myself.  My early teaching was by those who deny women any opportunity to be in ministry.  I never fully agreed with this position, but the teaching still biased my viewpoint.  But now after many hours of study, many years of Christianity, and persistent seeking after Yahweh's will I believe I've found his mind on this divisive issue.  We'll search the scriptures and see what we find.  Hopefully, we'll also let our Lord God Almighty speak to our hearts and minds if what we see isn't in alignment with what we currently understand or have been taught.

 

    Let's look at the three main passages used to keep women out of leadership.  In 1 Tim 2:11-12 we find, "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man."  Those are pretty strong words, but if we read them in the full context of the passage they speak to a slightly different issue.

    Women were most often the leaders of the pagan, mystery religions at that time.  The culture thought of women in this way.  Paul is warning them not to use the world's way of teaching religion, sex appeal and the thought that women are more spiritually minded.  The confusion that exists about this rather practical issue has been brought about by a misunderstanding of this passage of scripture and also by unfamiliarity with the Roman world of Paul's day.

    The words actual meanings can also help us see the context.  Quietness means lack of disturbance.  It didn't just mean for the women to be totally quiet, but that they didn't disrupt or interrupt the teachings.  Have authority means to be master.  The women weren't to exercise authority over the men, but to be rightly submissive to Yahweh's appointed authority structure.

    Another thing to look at is this is a personal letter to Timothy, not to a church or even a city.  These are instructions from the master to the pupil, guidance to help Timothy in serving as an elder.  Reading through the rest of the letter we also find that Paul warned Timothy about gossipy, busy-body women.  I believe this is the kind of woman that shouldn't be allowed to lead or teach.

    1 Cor 14:34-36 says women should keep silent in church.  Again we need to look at the historical and cultural context.  At that time men and women sat in different sections of their churches.  Paul doesn't want the women asking questions during worship because of the disruption it would cause.  He was basically advising husbands and wives to deal with questions after they got home instead of during the teaching.  Remember, this whole chapter deals with proper order in worship services.

    1 Cor 11:5 says, "Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head - it is just as if her head were shaved."  Notice it says a woman who prays or prophesies, so there wasn't a prohibition against them speaking in public.

    This verse had a particular application at the time.  The unveiled woman was a prostitute, and many of them had their heads shaved.  For example, the vestal virgins in the temple of Aphrodite had their heads shaved.  And the veil wasn't meant as a sign of subjection to men, but to Yahweh.  Again we see Paul speaking against the use of sex appeal to get a message across.  The adornments they wore were not to be flashy or sexy or in accordance with pagan symbolism for that reason.  It's really very simple.  Women should dress modestly when they come to church reflecting their submission to their Lord Jesus.

 

    This subject isn't about women's liberation.  Yahweh set them free long a go.  He made all people one in Jesus.  Without distinction, the Holy Spirit dwells in men and women, distributing spiritual gifts without preference to gender.  There aren't separate lists of gifts for male and female.  The distinctions are removed when we become Christians according to Gal 3:28, which was also written by Paul who many insist is the one who prohibits women in any sort of leadership role.  Look at the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  There were men and women involved in this miraculous event, both were blessed and used.

    In Acts 16 we have the story of the beginning of the Church of Philippi.  Paul was directed there by a vision from Yahweh.  He usually began his evangelizing in the local synagogue, but there wasn't one in this town.  To have a synagogue required 10 Jewish men, sorry but women and children didn't count.  So without his normal method being available he prayed and asked around for information.

    Paul heard there was a prayer meeting along the river on the Sabbath, so he went there.  He found a group of women praying, apparently without men leading them.  He began telling them about Jesus, and Lydia opened her heart to Jesus as did others in her household.  She opened her home as the first church in town, and was undoubtedly the leader of this new church.  Paul started a church with a bunch of women.  But our bias says Paul taught against doing this sort of thing.

    Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned and commended by Paul eight times in his letters.  This is more often than anyone other than Timothy.  And contrary to the custom of the day Priscilla's name is mentioned first all but two of those times.  Does this mean she was the stronger leader or teacher?  Maybe, but more importantly it shows us Paul respected his female leadership.

    Phoebe is mentioned in Rom 16:1 as a "deaconess."  The word used for deacon here is often translated as servant.  The word used here to describe her is the same one used for Apollos, Tychicus, Epaphras, and Timothy.  Whatever Phoebe did was important and was a great help to Paul in his missionary work.

    There are other illustrations in the New Testament.  Phillip's daughters, the prophetesses is one.  There are ten women mentioned and commended for their Kingdom work in Rom 16.  They're praised as those "who work hard for the Lord."  There are others, but these should be sufficient for us to see that Paul didn't have anything against women, and neither does Yahweh.

 

    There are numerous accounts in the Bible of women who were called and blessed by Yahweh in ministries involving teaching and leadership of both men and women.  If Yahweh had ordained that such roles were strictly masculine and unsuitable for women, there wouldn't be any such women to be found in the Bible.  Why would the perfect and all-knowing God not follow his own rules?

    How about Deborah, found in Judges 4?  She was the leader and judge of all Israel.  If Yahweh doesn't want women leading men, how did she become the judge of Israel?  Again, I think we have to look beyond our personal bias.  What we plainly see in our Bibles is that Yahweh isn't as strict about this issue as we tend to be.  How can we say that women should never be in leadership over men when we see the truth about Deborah?  If we insist on that kind of thing then our box is too small to hold our God.

    Miriam is another example found in the Old Testament concerning female leadership.  Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were recognized as leaders.  Moses was preeminent, but they also "prophesied."  Micah 6:4 says, "I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery.  I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam."  Here we have Yahweh telling us he appointed Miriam to leadership.

 

    I'd like to close with a balancing point for us.  I don't believe women are on a 50-50 level as far as leaderhsip goes.  What I see in the Bible doesn't bring "total equality" in leadership.  Yahweh's design is still primarily for the man to be the head, especially in the home.  This principle is about proper submission to Yahweh.  If the man is in proper submission to Yahweh, he doesn't place his wife, or any other woman, under subjugation.  He's not the dictator, he's the spiritual leader.  It's about mutual submission to Yahweh and one another, with the man as the appointed head.

    If we have such problems with women being teachers in our churches, why are most of our Sunday School teachers women?  They can't teach men, but they can teach all our boys.  They have great influence over our young men during these years.  If we really don't believe they should be teaching or having authority over men, this can't be good.  But this is a rabbit trail, or a challenge to our preconceptions, we don't need to follow it and lose our focus.

    If we could go back and make everything right according to Yahweh's plan and will I believe we'd have a very different situation right now.  Some women would be in positions of leadership, and some men would be removed.  And given the complete picture of Yahweh's Word I believe this: women can be pastors and leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ.  We still have problems with this issue in our modern day society, because we haven't completely aligned ourselves with our Lord's will.  Let's seek the Lord and do things his way.  That will clear up our bias and overcome our problems of being too matriarchal or patriarchal.  We need to be "all one in Christ Jesus."

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike

In Terrorism, Peace‏

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Col 1:15-20.

 

    As the Bible clearly tells us, Jesus is our peace and has reconciled himself to all things by shedding his blood on the cross.  A favorite part of the Christmas story for many is when we hear these words of great power, "and on earth peace to men on whom God's favor rests."  This is an ancient longing and a long-standing frustration - having peace on earth.

    Is peace possible?  Is is too much to ask for?  Is it beyond all reasonable expectation that we on planet earth will somehow, some way, live in peace?  That's what the angels sang.  That's what the shepherds heard.  And we need to hear it, too.  The Bible promises it and our hearts crave it, true and deep and lasting peace.

 

    Since 2001 many very awful things have happened.  The earthquake of conflict has taken many lives, destroyed cities, and torn apart families.  Today we anguish over things like smart bombs, laser-guided missiles, roadside bombs, and improvised explosive devices (IED).  And many are worrying and wondering, where is the peace that Yahweh promised us?  Can we really have peace amidst the terrorism and war in our world?

    Think with me about this thing called peace.  Think with me about the foolish ways we humans try to carve out peace for ourselves.  And that will set the stage for us to praise the Father for what Jesus has done.  Jesus is the only truly authentic hope of genuine peace.

    First, what have we done about peace?  To what have we given ourselves in order to make peace happen?  Do you know there are some striking parallels between the world Jesus was born into and our world?  Are you aware that so much about his time is like our own?

    His was a time when some trusted in government for everything.  It was a time, much like ours, when some people, particularly those in power, really thought Rome could do it all, and that if Rome didn't do it, it wouldn't be done.  This is very much like our day.  We have some folks who are quick to expect the President, the Congress, the Governor, and the bureaucrats to do everything under the sun to protect us.  In Jesus' day there were people who thought that the Roman Empire would bring peace and stability.  Rome had an extensive system of control.  Its military might was felt far from its capitol city.  It even bought off local rulers like Herod to keep them loyal.  It was a time when some trusted in government for everything.

    And yet there was no true and abiding peace.  No true peace because when you understand nothing but power, then power battles power, and there is no true and lasting peace.  Maybe a time of uneasy quiet is in place for a while, but not true peace.  The attacks of 9/11 remind us of how government-dependent peace can be shattered.  Don't look for true peace on earth from any human government.

    Second, it was also a time when some trusted in wealth to make themselves invulnerable.  It was a time, much like ours, when accumulating wealth had become an obsession for many people.  They built expensive and expansive homes, they constructed great buildings for their businesses, they worked to show off their wealth.  They even curried favor with God by parading their financial muscle.  The same Herod who killed all the baby boys in Bethlehem completed a major remodeling of the Temple in Jerusalem, as if to say, "Here God, let me show you how much you need me."  It was a time when your stature and your character were measured by the weight of your bags of gold.

    And yet there was no true peace.  No true peace because when you spend your life doing nothing but gathering wealth, well, you've spent your life and its gone.  But it has no real meaning.  Jesus told the story of a man who filled his barns with grain, and when they were full, he pulled them down to build bigger barns.  And when he faced up to what that meant, it was nothing but a great big coffin to hold his empty, soul-starved body.

    The attack on the World Trade Center reminds us of how fleeting our wealth is and how it won't protect us.  The decline in our economy because of the lost information is and was painful, but maybe that's a good thing.  Maybe it's best for us that the malls become less crowded and the spending less loose and carefree.  Don't look for true peace on earth from wealth.

    Third, it was a time when people trusted in their own ingenuity to get by.  It was a time when people ignored faith, paid lip service to religion, and went their own way - making themselves into little gods.  From the Romans who called their emperors divine, to the Greeks who worshiped their own philosophies, to the religious Jews who stood around the cross of Jesus and sneered about God coming to save him - many of the people of that day no longer paid attention to their Creator.  They no longer really believed that Yahweh was involved in the world he created.  For them God was a remote abstraction to be hauled out only on ceremonial occassions.  But they, and many of us are no different, thought they didn't need the presence and power of the Creator in their daily lives.  They and many of us feel that we know enough to handle what we need to handle, thank you very much.  And just like today, many felt God is for sissies who see only a rose-colored or cotton candy world.

    Isn't that the way many of us think?  Isn't that it for much of our world?  Yes, some of us go to church on Sundays, but what is that really all about?  That's mostly about what "respectable" people do, or to some it's about giving the children a good example, or to others it's about enjoying the music and how the preacher hammers those sinners.  But an intimate relationship with our Savior?  You've got to be kidding!  Letting God guide us and empower us?  That isn't cool or trendy or scientific.  That's not how 21st century people get by.  We, like the world Jesus was born into, think that if there's to be peace, it's up to each of us individually.  I will handle it.  I, I, I.  Ego is our god, and personal satisfaction is the son of our god.

 

    And so, of course, there is no true peace.  There is no true peace because when I am the center of my own universe, that's too small a package to attain peace for the whole world.  If we go down deep enough into our hearts, we find no true peace because of the God-shaped void down there that only Yahweh himself can fill.  There's a restlessness down there that can't be satisfied by anything less than our Creator himself.  There is no true peace on earth.  There wasn't any in Jesus' time, and there isn't any now.  Not if we trust government to bring it or wealth to buy it or ourselves to make it happen.  None of those things brings true and lasting and abiding peace.

    The angels sang of a different peace than most humans think of, and it terrified the shepherds who heard them singing.  They were terrified, no doubt, not just because the sky filled with the glory of heavenly angels, but terrifed because Yahweh stepped into our world.  They were scared, shaken by what they'd seen and heard.  When a person gets enough beating and shaking, he's likely to be afraid of just about anything.

    Some of those who've been affected by terrorism are truly terrorized.  Think about seeing planes fly into skyscrapers or watching bodies fall from burning buildings or being in a restaurant when bullets start flying.  Many are afraid today to leave their homes or to fly on airplanes or even to open their mail.  They have terrorized hearts, just like the shepherds.  But we must hear the message of peace just like the shepherds did.  Even though we don't fully understand how it can be, Jesus is the source of this world's peace.  In him and by him and through him, peace will come to us.  It may seem elusive and far-off, but it will come.

    Jesus is the source of true peace because he'll show us that it's not might that makes right, but the way of the loving sacrifice will win the world to peace.  Jesus left heaven and lived on earth for 33 years.  He tasted what we taste, he felt what we feel, he suffered what we suffer, and he did it all to show us that our lives count for something.  His single, solitary life, as short as it was, has meant more to humanity than any other life ever lived.  His life was given to service, to love, and to sacrifice.  Jesus is the source of true peace because his teaching and his example have transformed more hearts than all the armies that have ever marched or all the parliaments that have ever debated.  In times of terror there is true peace available because we know in Jesus that right stands with our Creator God, who keeps us all in view and under his protecting eye.  Even in the midst of terrorism we can find true peace because of Jesus.

 

    Jesus is the source of this world's peace because he'll show us that our Creator is for us.  From the moment of the announcement of his birth, when Mary heard that he would put down the mighty and exalt the lowly, Jesus was on the side of the poor, the displaced, and the ordinary.  His youth was shaped by peasant people in a nowhere town called Nazareth, not in the great city of Jerusalem, a city that calls itself "the most important city in the world."  When Jesus chose his followers, he took them from aong the salt of the earth, not from the educated elite.

    Jesus is the source of true peace because he shows us that we can live without worrying about money.  We can live without concerning ourselves with social standing.  We're somebodies simply because Yahweh has chosen to come and live with us.  True peace comes when we learn that in Jesus' world, everybody is somebody and nobody is put down.  In terrorism we can find true peace because Jesus is among us.

    I've heard the song of angels.  And because I've heard that beautiful music, the din of war, the noise of conflict, the shock of terrorism, and the empty silence of loneliness are all taken away.  Jesus took them away, and gave me true peace.

    John 14:27.  Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

    Rom 5:1.  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

    2 Thes 3:16.  "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with you."

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike