Selma Christ Church

A Family Circus comic strip shows the children of the family on Easter morning. One asks, “Who laid all these eggs?” The reply of another child is, “The Easter Bunny.” “Who colored them?” Again the reply, “The Easter Bunny.” The first child asks again, “Who gave us the jelly beans?” The reply, “The Easter Bunny.”

The family is then shown going to church. In church, the minister is preaching, and asks, “They came to the tomb and saw the stone rolled back, ‘Who could have done this?’ ” And the child in the congregation yells out, “The Easter Bunny!”

Of course, we all know, do we not, that history was not split in half by a rabbit! As much as children love to hunt Easter Eggs, and eat Chocolate Covered Easter Rabbits (adults, too), we know that Easter is RESURRECTION!

Jesus did not die on a cross and rise again so that we could hunt Easter eggs, but rather that we might have abundant life now and eternal life forever.

The author of the New Testament book known as Hebrews writes, “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”  Hebrews 2:14-15

Wow!  How amazing! The very instrument, which to all eyes appeared to seal Christ’s doom, was his tool of triumph!

The Cross is one of those contradictions of life. At the cross we see death and life, hate and love, sin and purity; at the cross all is lost and yet everything is gained.  The cross of Christ is actually a symbol of LIFE!

Paul wrote, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us, while we were still sinners.”  Romans 5:8

Listen to these colorful words of Charles Spurgeon, who was the pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel, today the Metropolitan Tabernacle, in London for 38 years during the 1800’s.

“Look at your Master and your King upon the cross, all distained with blood and dust! There was his heel most cruelly bruised. When they take down that precious body and wrap it in fair white linen and in spices, and lay it in Joseph’s tomb, they weep as they handle the casket in which the Deity had dwelt, for there again Satan had bruised his heel… The devil had let loose Herod, and Pilate, and Caiaphas, and the Jews, and the Romans… That is all, however! It is only his heel, and not his head, that is bruised! For lo, the Champion rises again!  (Vol. 22, 1876)

As we journey through this Lenten season, may we walk with Jesus on His path to the cross.  It is only as we understand the cross that we fully understand the true meaning of Easter.

Why not invite a friend to walk this journey with you?  Why not commit to one random act of kindness this season of Lent? 

Just a note:  Good Friday and Sunrise Morning Services with Breakfast will be held at Christ Church this year.  Easter services with the combined choir, message and celebration will be at 10:45 a.m.

Some of you will remember the “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip. In one strip, Calvin and Hobbes are talking about the New Year. Calvin says, “I’m getting disillusioned with these New Years. They don’t seem very new at all. Each New Year is just like the old year. Here another year has gone by and everything’s still the same. There’s still pollution and war and stupidity and greed. Things haven’t changed. I say what kind of future is this? I thought things were supposed to improve. I thought the future was supposed to be better.”

Hobbes replies with his usual keen insight, “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.”

I guess he’s right. The future does just keeps turning into more of the present.

Well, a new year is upon us with all of its challenges and possibilities. I think of a text from the prophet, Isaiah.  “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” 

Wow.  What  a powerful word of encouragement.  Having come through the Christmas season, we often focused on God coming near to each of us.

And yet some in Isaiah’s day, like us,  might be questioning or even doubting what God can do in our lives.

Let me offer some reasons why you and I can have the best year ever. 

In the first place, we know who we are. One of Isaiah’s primary tasks was to remind the people of God who they were. They were no ordinary run of the mill ragtag outfit. They were God’s own anointed. They were the chosen.

We need to be reminded, sometimes, who we are as well. We are God’s people. We are those for whom Christ died. We belong to the best family in town: God’s family. 

An unknown poet has written: 

I may be young; I may be old, 
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child.
 
I may be educated; I may be unlettered,
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child. 

I may be black; I may be white, 
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child. 

I may be rich; I may be poor, 
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child. 

I may be fat; I may be thin, 
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child. 

I may be married; I may be divorced, 
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child. 

I may be successful; I may be a failure,
But I am somebody, For I am God’s Child. 

I may be a sinner; I may be a saint, 
But I am somebody, For Jesus is my Savior. 

I am God’s Child! 

We can also take encouragement in knowing that God goes with us in 2018. Remember, He is Emmanual.

Isaiah understood that any glory that came to his people was not their own doing. Their hope was in God and God alone. So it is with us.

I think of the experience of Mrs. C.D. Martin who wrote a song that Ethel Waters made famous.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin were visiting the Doolittle’s of Elmira, New York. The Doolittle’s were both physically impaired.  Even though unable to get around, their souls were still strong. They radiated such joy that the Martins inquired about their positive joyous take on life.

Mrs. Doolittle responded with pride, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!” Mrs. Martin was so taken by the response that she went home and that same day arranged those touching words into a lovely Gospel hymn that Ethel Waters immortalized. “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!”

I was reminded of that recently when Lana remembered a plaque hanging on her brother’s living room wall. It simply said: “Said the Robin to the Sparrow, ‘I should really like to know. Why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so?” 

Said the Sparrow to the Robin: “Friend, I think that it must be that they have no Heavenly Father, such as cares for you and me.”

As we go into this New Year, may the God who has come near, be above us, below us, beside us, in front of us and behind us always.

I swore I would never do it.

I had always said I would never go out shopping on “Black Friday” but Staples had a good deal on something at which I had been considering.  I thought, “Heh.  Join the rush.  Get in on the excitement. I’ll go, and I’ll go early.  After all, who’s going to be shopping at Staples.

And so I went.  When I arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  It was as if everyone in town was there.  The lines were 25 deep and three registers were open. 

I said to myself, “This is crazy.”  And I walked out.  I traveled a little further down McGalliard, and cars went flying by me.  I could see them in the review mirror weaving in and out of traffic. 

One person passed me, proceeded to slow down to make a u-turn and then headed back the other way.  Another person came up behind me, rode my bumper for several blocks before passing.  I saw him pull into a store, jump out of his car and rush into the store.

I decided, “This is nuts.” And so I went to make a call at the hospital, and then went home. 

I don’t know.  Maybe things have changed since I had my “Black Friday” experience.  It was 8 years ago.

I do know that Christmas sometimes becomes a little hectic.  And yet it is a great time of the year and I want to encourage you to take advantage of all the opportunities Christmas affords us.  Christmas truly is a time of joy.

To experience the real joy of Christmas there are several truths I would present for your consideration, however.

When I consider, for instance, the Magi, I think first we need to …

SLOW down. I know it can be argued that the Wise Men were astrologers and that was why they were looking at the stars, but I’ve always wondered if the Wise Men weren’t wise simply because they took the time to observe – to look up at the stars.

It ran in a Tacoma, Washington, newspaper some years ago.  Perhaps it reflects the way many of us feel about the pace of our lives these days — particularly as we enter the busy Christmas season.

The article reads:

Tattoo, the basset hound, never intended to go for an evening run — but he had no choice when his owners shut his leash in the car door and took off for a drive with Tattoo still outside the vehicle. Motorcycle officer Terrence Filbert was patrolling about 7:25 p.m. Wednesday evening when he noticed a vehicle that appeared to have something dragging from it. As Filbert passed the vehicle, he noticed that the dragging item was a basset hound on a leash — picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could.

Filbert gave chase and finally stopped the car on North 21^st street but not before the dog had reached a speed of 20-25 MPH. The car’s occupants, a man and a woman, jumped out when Filbert told them that they were dragging a dog. The couple became distressed and began calling out: “Tattoo, Tattoo!” Tattoo, 8 months old, was not injured, but Filbert suggested that they take the dog to a nearby animal clinic to be checked out. No citation was issued.  Poor Tattoo.

Can anybody relate to Tattoo?  Sometimes the pace of our lives is crazy.

Our entire lives could be described as running just as fast as we can. And like Tattoo the basset hound, many of us feel as if we have no choice in the matter! It’s just the way it is.

Here the good news.  You can slow down. Many of the deadlines and “have-to-do’s” you feel pressing in on you are self-imposed.

Slow down and simplify.

Secondly, LAY down. By that I mean lay down anything that distracts you from God this season.

I love the story about Yogi Berra and Hank Aaron. Berra was a catcher with the Yankees and Aaron was playing for the then Milwaukee Braves. During one game Yogi, as usual, was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to distract the Milwaukee batters.

As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, “Hey Henry, you’re holding the bat wrong. You’re supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark.”

Aaron didn’t say a word, but when the next pitch came he drilled it over the left field fence and into the upper reaches of the stadium. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, “I didn’t come up here to read.”

May I suggest that we lay down everything that distracts us from reaching Jesus.

Finally, BOW down and worship the king – Jesus Christ.

The Magi knew the only proper response in the presence of the King of Glory was to humbly and reverently bow down before him and worship Him with the gift of our lives.

May this Christmas season be a time of joy. 

       Choir sings at Selma Christ / New Burlington on December 24.

       A Christmas Eve service will be at New Burlington with candlelighting

       and communion.

Merry Christmas   Dennis

Psalms 106:1  “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever.”  Psalm 100:1-5 “Make a joyful shout to the Lord all you lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord, He is God.  It is He who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name.”

Some years ago Redbook magazine carried an article about the way women ought to conduct themselves.  It was quite humorous considering what they said 50 years ago as opposed to today.  Someday it may be good sermon material.

But that for another day.  Here is another list compiled by several housewives for things which they were thankful.

            For automatic dish washers because they make it possible

            for us to get out of the kitchen before the family comes back

            in for their after dinner snacks.

            For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house

            because they usually make them big enough to call in the

            professionals.

            For children who put away their things and clean up after

            themselves.  They’re such a joy.  You hate to see them go home

            to their parents.

            For teenagers because they give parents an opportunity to

            learn a second language.

            For smoke alarms because they let you know when the

            turkey is done.

Speaking of overdone turkey, according to Craig Boldman and Pete Matthews (authors of Every Excuse in the Book: 714 Ways to Say “It’s Not My Fault”), if you burn the Thanksgiving turkey, here are a dozen reasons to be thankful:

Now our list might not be the same as theirs but I am convinced that if we began to make a list, we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than our material possessions. 

In our world when we live life so rushed, we tend to not reflect on the ordinary everyday blessings from God.

A hug from your kids going out the door to school.

A car that starts most of the time.

A bed to sleep in every night.

A furnace to warm us up this time of the year.

A cup of water any time we want it.

For some of you, a cup of coffee and a newspaper.  For others a Mountain Dew and newspaper.

Well, with Jesus we have so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day!  

We have His presence, His promises and His power available every single day that we live.  He is faithful and He is true. 

David says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts

with praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name.”

Elsewhere in a psalm of thanksgiving (C.16) he uses words like “good,” “secure,” “pleasant,” “delightful,” and “glad.” He speaks of fullness of joy and unending pleasures. He relishes his present life, and he expects an even better future. And what’s the key to it all? His trust and delight in his God.

David sees God as the Giver of every good thing, and as he goes on to speak of good things that God gives, David overflows with thanksgiving. The basis of our thanksgiving is not things, the basis of our thanksgiving is the unchanging Lord of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

May throughout this month and following our song be, “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son. 

There is a silly story about two men sitting on a river bank. The night was still except the sound of a chorus of crickets. One of the men said, “Crickets sure do sing.”

The other answered, “Yep, they sure do.” As he was saying this he heard the sounds of a church choir rehearsing nearby.

“Sure is beautiful music, isn’t it?” he said.

The first man, still thinking about the crickets replied, “And to think they do it by rubbing their legs together.”

Our choir doesn’t make beautiful music by rubbing their legs together. But we are grateful for them. 

People who serve Christ together tend to have a great time doing it.  I know the choir does.

Now, imagine with me for a moment.  You could even close your eyes if you would, but then you couldn’t see.

But imagine this, imagine, let’s say tomorrow morning, you wake up, you open your eyes, you’re blind. You can’t see anything. It’s utter, total darkness.

You think you’re still dreaming. You realize you’re awake. The first inclination is, “Obviously this is temporary, something’s going on, but I’ll be fine. I’ll just lay here for a minute.”

You wait, you don’t know how long. It feels forever, but it’s a short while. You’re blind. You can’t see anything. It’s complete darkness. Eventually you start to get a bit panicked. You make your way out of bed, you’re stumbling around, you’re trying to figure out where things are and you’re completely disoriented. “What do I do?” That’s what you’re thinking.

This goes on for days, weeks, months, years. Your whole life changes. You lose all your money. You can’t go to work. You’re absolutely broke. You lose the place of residence that you were enjoying. And your whole life is forever changed, for the worse.

How often it is that we take our eyesight for granted.  How often it is that we take life for granted.

Helen Keller, who dealt with deafness and blindness on a daily basis, once wrote a magazine article entitled: “Three Days to See.”

In that article she outlined what things she would like to see if she were granted just three days of sight. It was a powerful, thought provoking article.

On the first day she said she wanted to see friends.

Day two she would spend seeing nature.

The third day she would spend in her home city of New York watching the busy city and the work day of the present.

She concluded it with these words: “I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you were stricken blind.”

It reminds us that we only have this day and we are called to receive it as a gift to be relished, enjoyed, and lived.

Today is the day to say “I love you.”  Today is the day to say, “Thank you.”  Today is the day…. to not repeat the mistakes we may have made in the past. 

Not one of us guaranteed another day. Realizing this truth helps us to live more fully. We are reminded that we must not delay in expressing love.

Today is a precious gift; it is a blessing from above. Appreciate all what you have today and all those around you.

Bob Hope was one of the great comedian of the last century. As he was getting along in years, he once commented that he’d been reading and was astonished to discover:

“Today my heart beat over 103,000 times,

my blood traveled 168 million miles,

I breathed 23,400 times,

I inhaled 438 cubic feet of air, ate 3 pounds of food, and drank 2.9 pounds of liquid,

I perspired 1.43 pints… gave off 85.3 degrees of heat… generated 450 tons of energy,

I spoke 4,800 words, I moved 750 major muscles,

and I exercised 7 million brain cells.

(pause…) It’s no wonder I’m tired all the time.”

I hope that’s not true for you but what a joy it is to anticipate each new day and accept it as a fresh gift from God!

Today is the day to walk with God.  Today is the day of salvation.  In Christ, and in Christ alone, by grace alone, we know God’s gift of life and the greatest gift of all is Eternal Life.

How can we live our lives today as a gift from God?  How can we live on purpose for Him who created us?  How can we live our lives, or use our eyes as if we were stricken blind tomorrow?

Thank the Lord and praise his name! TELL THE WORLD about his wonderful love!” Isaiah 12:4 (LB) 

Dennis 

Dr. John Trent in Christian Parenting Today tells about a wedding video he once saw. The video was shot from the back of the church looking up the aisle toward the bride and groom. Because of the camera angle, you could see several members of the congregation.

Suddenly, during the vows, a man jumped up from his pew and yelled, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” as he pumped his fist.

Then he froze and slid down into his seat–and sheepishly took off his headphones. It turned out he had been listening to the Auburn-Alabama football game, and his favorite team had just scored. 

Easter is a day for Christians to pump their fists in the air and say, “Yes, Yes, Yes.” Yes is what Easter is about.

God’s yes to Jesus and all Jesus taught us about the meaning of life. God’s yes to the victory of life over death, love over hate, faith over fear, hope over despair. Everything about Easter says, “Yes, Yes, Yes.” 

If you’re into genealogy you know that visits to cemeteries are quite frequent.  One day a six-year-old boy named David was taking a walk with his grandmother.

They decided to detour through the local cemetery.

As they walked past the gravestones, they would stop every once in a while to read the engravings on the stones.

Grandma explained that the first date on the tombstones was the day the person was born and the second date was the day the person died. 

“Why do some tombstones only have one date?” little David asked. 

“Because those people haven’t died yet,” his grandmother explained. 

David was obviously stunned by his grandmother’s explanation because, that night, he couldn’t stop talking about the excursion.

“Mom,” he said with wide eyes, “some of the people buried there in the cemetery aren’t even dead yet!” 

Leave it to a six-year-old to put a different twist on things.

One day some women came to the cemetery, not to read dates on a gravestone, but to anoint the body of Jesus.  Their hearts were disillusioned with broken hearts and dashed dreams. 

When they arrived at the gravesite, they found the tomb had been opened and they began to weep.

Two angels saw their plight and asked them why they were weeping.  The women responded by saying, “What have you done with my Lord.” 

The news was earth shattering.  “The One whom you seek is not here.  He is risen, just as he said.” 

At Christmas, God became flesh and walked among us; at Calvary our sin was dealt with; at the Resurrection, death, the last enemy, was conquered.

A young Christian in the early church stood before a Roman magistrate, who said, “I sentence you to death for your faith in Jesus Christ, the Nazarene!” The man staunchly replied, “Sir! Death is dead! So you cannot frighten me!”

Without Easter this is a dark, dark world. With Easter, hope bursts forward with every blossom of springtime. Easter is a time to pump our fists in the air and say, “Yes!”

Christ is risen!  Christ is risen, indeed!

Dennis.

What?  It’s almost Thanksgiving?!  Well, everyday ought to be a day of Thanksgiving, but yes, the DAY of Thanksgiving is a few weeks away.  It’ll be a time for families, for gathering, for eating, and for TURKEY.

And just think … if you burn your turkey there is still cause for thanksgiving.  According to Craig Boldman and Pete Matthews, authors of Every Excuse in the Book: 714 Ways to Say “It’s Not My Fault”, even if you burn the Thanksgiving turkey, there are several reasons to be thankful:

I was raised in a family that was fairly simple.  We never celebrated Thanksgiving with a big meal. Yes.. we had our pumpkin or mincemeat pies, and we had our mashed potatoes and dressing.  We even had a turkey once in a while but for the most part our meals were anything elaborate. 

I do remember the  football games we played as kids outdoors.  The Colts were in Baltimore and the Bengals didn’t exist so we pretended we were Bart Star and the Green Bay Packers. And I can remember as a child taking a paper sack and making a Pilgrim or an Indian outfit at school and celebrating a reenactment of that first Thanksgiving.

Today, of course, revisionist historians have attempted to reinterpret those events as politically incorrect.  In light of that, one past president reminded us, “We’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important: Why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those thirty seconds over Tokyo meant.”

In our world when we live life so rushed, we tend to not reflect on the ordinary everyday blessings from God.

A hug from your kids going out the door to school.

A car that starts most of the time.

A bed to sleep in every night.

A furnace to warm us this time of the year.

A cup of water any time we want it.

For some of you, a cup of coffee and a newspaper. 

For freedom to gather in worship.

Why not take a few moments right now and read Psalm 16.

Psalm 16 is a prayer of thanksgiving. Notice the words David uses like “good,” “secure,” “pleasant,” “delightful,” and “glad.” He speaks of fullness of joy and unending pleasures. He relishes his present life, and he expects an even better future. And what’s the key to it all? His trust and delight in his God.

David sees God as the Giver of every good thing, and he overflows with a thankful and grateful heart.

Psalm 73 is the prayer of Asaph.  After a terrible inner struggle, he almost slipped into thinking he’d be better off without God but just when he was on the verge of giving up his faith, he went to the place of worship.

There the Lord straightened out his mind and refreshed his spirit. He confessed his struggle and bitterness, and then he prayed, “You hold me by my right hand … and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever… it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:23-26).

The Lord’s presence brings not only delight but a sense of direction and of security.

In Psalm 16:7 David rejoices that God counsels and instructs him day and night. “Because he is at my right hand,” David declares in verse 8, “I will not be shaken.”

Nothing

As we approach Thanksgiving,  may God rest your heart and mind, may He bless and keep you and your family, and may He continue to extend His blessings upon our nation. May He grant us courage and wisdom to match the tests of our age. May He impress upon us the spirit of our forefathers, their soul-deep craving for freedom, expressed with acknowledgement of their debts to God, as we strive to meet the challenges of our day.

As our forebears remembered with every prayerful word of gratitude, even self-reliance is, at its root, reliance on Him. May we all say, “O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.”