Praying in the New Year

This brief note is for each participant of the sweet fellowship commonly called Bosqueville United Methodist Church.  I am praying in the New Year by asking God to richly bless each of you.  2013 was a time of growth together in many ways, and I am asking the Father to do even more among us and through us in 2014. May God send His Spirit upon our community in unexpected ways as we continue "Loving Bosqueville!"

Love,

Bro. Dane

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: "Be It Resolved"

Text: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

OPEN:

New Year’s Day celebrations began in pre-Christian times.  January gets its name from Janus, the two-faced god who looks backwards into the old year and forwards into the new. The custom of setting “New Years resolutions” began during this period in Rome, as they made such resolutions with a moral flavor: mostly to be good to others. But when the Roman Empire took Christianity as its official state religion in the 4th century, these moral intentions were replaced by prayers and fasting. For example, Christians chose to observe the Feast of the Circumcision on January 1 in place of the revelry otherwise indulged in by those who did not share the faith. This replacement had varying degrees of success over the centuries, and Christians hesitated observing some of the New Year practices associated with honoring the pagan god Janus.

As recently as the 17th century, Puritans in Colonial America avoided the indulgences associated with New Year’s celebrations and other holidays. In the 18th century, Puritans avoiding even naming Janus. Instead they called January “First Month.”  In contrast to this, the Puritans urged their children to skip the revelry and instead spend their time reflecting on the year past and contemplating the year to come. In this way they adopted again the old custom of making resolutions. These were enumerated as commitments to better employ their talents, treat their neighbors with charity, and avoid their habitual sins.

The great American theologian Jonathan Edwards, brought up in New England Puritan culture, took the writing of resolutions to an art form. But he did not write his resolutions on a single day. Rather, during a two-year period when he was about 19 or 20 following his graduation from Yale, he compiled some 70 resolutions on various aspects of his life, which he committed to reviewing each week.

Making New Year's resolutions often gets a bad rap:

"New Year’s Day now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual."

Mark Twain

"Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account."

Oscar Wilde

"Men should pledge themselves to nothing; for reflection makes a liar of their resolution."

Sophocles

I've also read some humorous New Year's resolutions:

"Dear God, my prayer for 2014 is a fat bank account and a thin body. Please don't mix these up like you did this year."

"A new year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."

Our real concern is not what people have said about making resolutions, but what Scripture says.

The Bible actually has a great deal to say about "new things":

Isaiah 42:9, "See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them."

2 Co 5: 17,18, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation."

2 Co 4:16, "So we do not lose heart.  Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is renewed day by day."

It even speaks about resolutions:

1 Co 2:2, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

Evidently, believers are expected to take an active role in their own spiritual growth.  Making New Year's resolutions should be a spiritual activity that leads to significant transformation.

Here are a few suggestions from our text of how to take part in resolving to experience significant change in 2014:

I. Understand your immediate context.

Paul's words imply that when he came to Corinth, he felt a certain temptation when speaking to these Greeks to employ a manner of preaching that might have impressed them.  Even though he knew what would please and captivate them, he made a decision to proclaim what they really needed to hear.  His discernment of his audience radically altered his approach.

     1. What about your immediate context rightfully demands your attention?

        - Could be a health issue that must be addressed.

        - Could be a relationship issue that demands your attention.

        - Could be a professional concern that needs to be dealt with.

     2. These pressing issues should be the subject matter of your resolutions.

II.  Be honest about your personal history.

Paul's entrance into Corinth is described in Acts chapter 18.   But before he arrived in Corinth he went to Athens, Greece.  This visit is detailed in Acts chapter 17.  Athens was the seat of learning in the ancient world.  Paul approached ministry in Athens quite differently from the way he did later in Corinth.  He argued for the gospel by quoting secular philosophers and spoke to them from the context of their statue to an unknown god.  Although some were persuaded, it was a far cry from a movement of God in the city.  Nothing is said about a church being planted in Athens as a result of his ministry there.

     1.  Accept honestly both the failure and success of previous resolutions.

        - Celebrate your victories.

        - Analyze your defeats.

      2.  Relinquish the past to Christ (the positive & the negative) 

        - Guilt cripples, but forgiveness liberates.

III. Limit the number and scope of resolutions.

Paul limited himself to one resolution--to preach the crucified Christ boldly, nothing more and nothing less.

     1.  Many fail because they attempt too many resolutions.

        - Make a prayerful list of desired changes, then do triage on the list.

        - Limit yourself to making and tackling no more than five resolutions.

     2.  Refuse ambiguity in your resolutions.

          Peter Drucker's 'management by objectives' concept--SMART

        - Specific-- Define the desired difference.

        - Measurable-- How will you know when you've fulfilled your resolution?

        - Attainable-- Is this personal desire actually attainable?

        - Relevant-- What difference will it make if you fulfill your resolution?

        - Time-bound-- Place a statute of limitations on your resolution(s).

IV. Combine your personal resolve with spiritual surrender.

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

"Nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present yourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1

     1. God does expect our finest effort in becoming like Christ.

"So also he, reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11

     2. But real victory comes when we surrender ourselves to Christ.

       - This is the Garden & the Cross.  Jesus praying to let this cup pass, and then praying "Nevertheless, thy will not mine be done."

       - That's why making New Year's resolutions should be a spiritual activity that leads to significant transformation.

CLOSE:

You can experience significant change in 2014, radical transformation this new year. 

All of this is true for both Individuals & churches.

- What is your immediate context?

- What has been your personal history?

- Limit the number & scope of personal changes you will seek in 2014.

- Make sure to combine surrender to Christ with your resolve.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

A Great Crossroads

The following excerpt from Oswald Chambers speaks to me as I prepare to close this year and embark on another.  Perhaps it will connect with you as well:

"Becore we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide—for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.  Lord, the range of Your power, the touch of Your grace, the breathing of Your Spirit—how I long for these to bring me face to face with You. Forgive my tardiness; it takes me so long to awaken to some things."

The hard part definitely seems to be the letting go.  I rarely struggle with "straining for that which lies ahead", but I often wrestle with the "forgetting that which lies behind." May God grant to each of us courage sufficient for the transaction.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

A Blue Christmas Miracle

Having a 'blue Christmas' this year?  Why not choose to be a miracle rather than a casualty?  "Never pray for an easier life--pray to be a stronger person! Never pray for tasks equal to your power--pray for power to be equal to your tasks. Then doing your work will be no miracle--you will be the miracle" (Phillips Brooks, Harvard graduate and prominent preacher, 1835-1893). The role of suffering in the Christian life remains a mystery, yet it holds enormous potential for molding our response to human agony in the world as well as to our own upward climb. Robert Kruschwitz, Director of Baylor University's Center for Christian Ethics warns, "We must be very careful how we assent to suffering, for it's as difficult and dangerous as walking on a knife-edge. We must avoid, on the one side, the wrong sort of passivity that glorifies suffering as something good in itself and, on the other, the wrong sorts of activity that would eliminate suffering at all costs." 

Perhaps our greatest help in getting a grip on this slippery subject is in revisiting an extremely familiar and oft quoted Scripture passage in the New Testament Book of Romans, the eighth chapter and twenty eighth verse: "All things work together form the good of them who love God and are called according to His purpose." Frequently this is invoked as a sort of Christian talisman. If I belong to God, here's my insurance against extended suffering and ultimate disaster. But is that its real meaning and proper application? According to Henry Blackaby, "God's primary concern for us is not our position on the corporate ladder, our retirement benefits, or our comfort. His ultimate goal for us is Christlikeness. He will allow whatever is necessary into our lives so we become like Jesus" (God in the Marketplace). 

So, what does Romans 8:28 promise to us? Stated simply, regardless of how difficult and demanding our circumstances, by relying on God and responding toward Him rather than away from Him, God will see to it that we emerge on the other side of our situation more like Christ. When we decide that Christlikeness is more important than momentary ease and comfort, we are the miracle. 

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: "Holy Intrusions"

Text: Luke 1:26-38

OPEN:

The Apollo Theatre in central London was packed for a performance of the ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.’  Settled in for an enjoyable performance, no one expected their lives were about to be rudely interrupted.  Without warning, the roof collapsed.  An eyewitness heard "a crackling" noise before the collapse.  A spokesman said that the theatre was almost full with "around 700 people" watching the performance.  Theatre-goer Lucy Atherton: "The ceiling just fell in."  "We thought it was water... We thought it was a part of the show. I grabbed my kids and ran."  The Met Police said more than 40 walking wounded were being treated at the nearby Gielgud Theatre, while a London bus used to transport others injured to hospital.

While most of life’s interruptions are thankfully far less traumatic, the truth is that there are moments for each of us when our routine is arrested, our plans disrupted.

And the truth is that the Christmas event is essentially the highest example of holy intrusion in human history.

Life is not so much about how well you plan, but how you handle interruptions.

For the individuals involved in the Christmas drama, it was one unexpected interruption after another:

     ·        Look at Zacharias. He was going about his priestly duties, offering incense in the sacred holy of holies, when he is arrested by an angel who turns his life upside down.

·        Look at Elizabeth. An upright woman who observed the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly in the sight of God. Her husband goes away for his two weeks of priestly service in a normal condition and returns home a mute man. He went away talking and comes back silenced.

·        Look at Mary. A young virgin engaged to be married to a good man, but is met by the same angel who met Zacharias, who also flips her life upside down.

·        And then there’s Joseph, whom Luke does not talk much about, but we know from Matthew’s gospel that he gets the shock of his life when he finds out that the virgin he is engaged to is already pregnant and he knows it’s not his. He knows that he’s an honorable man, and he knows that he did not have that honor.

All of these holy interruptions come on their own time and their own schedules. God did not wait for the perfect moment to come into any of these lives. In fact, in all four cases, it was probably the most inopportune moments he could have chosen.

I.       Holy Intrusions Remind Us of Who is in Charge. 

Although it was a surprise to all and traumatic for some, Christmas came exactly as God had planned.

Gal 4:4,5 “When the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a virgin, born under the law, that he might redeem them which were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

1.     Sometimes life is divinely interrupted because our plans run counter to God’s plans.

·        Living life with God means understanding that God will have God’s way. It means understanding that He has a plan and is working out His plan and whether we are in agreement with it or not, whether we understand it or not, whether it fits our schedules or agendas or not, God’s plan will go on on schedule.

·        It’s often not that our plans are bad or wrong, it’s just that when our plans conflict with the plans God has for us and the plans he has for the world, then we are the ones who will need to make the adjustments. God’s plans for us will go forward.

2.     I call these holy intrusions – those things that interrupt us and cause us to readjust our lives.

·        This Christmas make room for some divine disruptions in your life, because if you have not learned it already, that’s where the miracles of life take place. Truth be told, Jesus’ entire life was a series of holy interruptions – either by him or to him.

·        He interrupted the fishermen and said follow me, and I’ll make you a fisher of men. He interrupted the woman at the well and said believe in me. He interrupted the pity party the sisters were having for Lazarus and told him to get up from the tomb. He interrupted his own mountainside worship service to secure a little boy’s lunch in order to feed 5000 people. He interrupted his trip to see about a dying 12 year old girl to tend to the needs of a bleeding woman.

Christmas comes to remind us that our job is not to get God on our program, but to get on God’s program. Because miracles happen when we get on his program.

II. Holy Intrusions Invite Us to Join God in His Agenda.

 Ryan Dueck blog:

A wise friend and mentor once told me to be very careful to cultivate what he called a “theology of holy interruptions.” “Sometimes God speaks in the unplanned, unexpected, even apparently annoying human interjections in our days,” he said. “Make sure you don’t allow your other ‘important work’ to trump the divinely appointed conversations that might cross your path when you least expect or want them.”

 

1.     Are you able to discern the difference between an inconvenience and an opportunity?

·        Jesus was a master at recognizing the divine disruptions in his life. I think of the countless healing stories, or teaching moments, when Jesus hears the intrusive cries of those clamoring for his attention, and somehow manages to let go of his own agenda, to abandon his own schedule, to forget about the many things in favor of the main thing.

·        I don’t know about you, but in my life, there are many days when taking the time to see what is going on around me, or broadening my perspective even a little bit seem like too great a task. But what a miracle it is, when I am able to let go of my own agenda, and pay attention to that broader perspective just long enough to recognize a holy interruption when it occurs.

·        A holy intrusion is an opportunity to take the Gospel seriously. It is a chance to sort out the “main thing” from the “many things”.

2. What’s required to recognize holy intrusions and respond accordingly?

           1)    Spiritual Discernment—comes from one’s intimate relationship with Christ

2)    Humility/ servant spirit—allows intrusions to move from inconvenience to opportunity.

3)    Courage- See where He is moving and courage enough to join Him.

 

CLOSE:

Life is not so much about how well you plan, but how you align yourself with God’s plan and how you recognize and respond to holy interruptions.

Study Guide: "When You Follow a Star and End Up at a Stable"

Text: Matthew 2:1-12

Open:

I love Christmas and freely admit that Advent may be my favorite time of year.  I like the color and tradition, the festivity and family orientation of the holidays.  But I must admit that Christmas is not a high point in the year for many individuals.  Christmas ads tell us this is "the happiest time of the year."  But according to the National Institute of Health, it's actually when incidents of depression and attempted suicide are highest.  One survey reported that 45 percent of respondents dread this season.

To sum it all up, today's message is about expectations.  What happens when you've been following a star and it leads you to a stable?  What happens when after thinking things are going to be grand and glorious you end up in the backyard of a barn?  And there, instead of a palace and king, you find a baby held by his mother.

- How is your conduct affected by the outcome of your expectations?

- Imagine the disappointment of the wise men when they arrived in Jerusalem and learned the sacred event wasn't happening there.

- Can you imagine their surprise when the star led them to Bethlehem and a child in a stable.

Let me connect this to our lives:

- Have you ever experienced disappointment?  Was it in graduation, marriage, career, family, retirement?

The beautiful part of the Christmas story of the wise men is what they do when they arrive at the stable.  Through their response, they teach us three things.  I believe that wise individuals through the ages have done these same three things when they came to a place or situation that wasn't what they were expecting.

I. Wise Men Look For God in the Stable.

One of the things I love about the Bible is its brutal honesty when it comes to the lives of biblical characters.  Biblical writers never make the characters appear better than they were.  As you look at them, you see that many times life turned out very different from what they expected, yet many of them were able to find the good in a difficult disappointment.

- Paul in prison-- writes letters of encouragement to people who were free while he was bound by chains.

- David in a cave-- writes the 23rd Psalm.

- Job covered in boils, having lost wealth and family-- writes, "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

- Joseph after 30+ years of unfulfilled dreams-- finds favor with Pharaoh.

The difference between immature Christians and mature believers:

     1) Immature Christians see God only in the good times.

     2) Mature believers see God in the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Test of maturity: how do you respond in adversity & disappointment?

When things are bad:

- Immature Christian, "God, change my circumstances."

- Mature believer, "God, change my heart so that I become a better person in light of these circumstances."

*Wise men tell us: When you follow a star and end up at a stable, look for God.

II. Wise Men Offer Their Very Best to God.

Temptation when disappointed: When things don't go as we expected, we are tempted to hold back from giving our best.  If we don't receive the best, we offer less than our best in return.

What did the wise men do when they found the Christ as a child in less than humble surroundings?  Hey brought forth their very best-- gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

John Maxwell: "The difference between the average person and the above average individual  can be summed up in three words: 'and then some.'"

It takes an extraordinary person to do the "and the some" in barnyard conditions.

III. Wise Men Look at Disappointment Differently.

After seeing the Christ child and hearing from an angel, the wise men didn't return the same way they came.  Their encounter with Christ changed their course/direction.

1. We should learn from and be different as a result of our disappointments.

If you're a wise person, you'll not only look for God in a bad situation, and give your best in that bad situation, you'll allow that situation to change you-- you'll be a changed person, a better and more mature follower of Christ.

2. Two optimal results of change:

  1) The change will take you deeper in identifying with Christ.

  2) The change will expand your ability to provide compassionate ministry to others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

J. H. Jowett: "God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters."

Close:

Disappointments need not be dead ends!

When you follow a star and end up at a stable, allow the experience to become a catalyst for a transformed life and ministry.

Study Guide: "Are You Ready for Christmas?"

Text: Luke 2:21-35

Open:

A common question during the hectic holiday season is, “Are you ready for Christmas?”  Most often that question probes our preparation in gift buying, baking and decorating.  When people ask, “Are you ready for Christmas?” they are usually referring to the mechanics of celebrating Christmas and the question has very little, if anything, to do with the condition of our heart and its readiness to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  As we continue this morning our series "A Simple Christmas", I want us to consider a person in Scripture who was fully prepared for Christmas, because I’m convinced his experience has a lot to say to us today as we approach Christmas.

In this story from the Gospel of Luke, we see that the story of Jesus has only just begun. Mary has not had much time to bask in the afterglow of childbirth. Instead, we find Joseph and Mary in Jerusalem, presenting their newborn baby in the temple, offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving according to Jewish custom. And while they are there, they have a rather disturbing encounter with a strange old man named Simeon, who forces them to look beyond Bethlehem to Calvary.

What I want us to see from this story today is that Simeon was ready for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, because his heart was right with God.  In the same way, you and I are ready for Christmas when our hearts are right with God. This morning I want you to examine yourself very carefully to determine whether or not your heart is really prepared to meet Jesus Christ the Lord.

I.  We Prepare For Christmas By Knowing God Personally.

1.  What little we know about Simeon comes from this brief passage of  scripture: 

1) We know he is very old when we meet him. 

2) There is nothing great and remarkable about him; he holds no high office, standing or power.  His name is quite common among Jews at that time.

3) We know he is "righteous and devout." The word “righteous” connotes a judge who pronounces the verdict of approval.  This means that Simeon is viewed as standing before God’s judgment bar and receiving a sentence of approval.  This term goes beyond outward conformity to the Jewish legal requirements.  “Righteous” means approved of God in heart as well as in life.  Simeon has evidently so walked with God that God finds no fault in him and stamps his life, “righteous.”

4) But most importantly, we know that Simeon has one singular goal he wants to accomplish before he dies. Simeon is looking for "the consolation of Israel." Simeon lived in such close communion with his God that the spirit of God has revealed to Simeon that he will not die until he has seen the Messiah, the Chosen One of God. That’s all Simeon is living for, the only thing that gets him out of bed every morning. He gets up wondering, "Will this be the day?" He hangs out in the temple every day, checking out the new babies being brought in by their parents, looking for that one special infant who will deliver the children of Israel and the nations of the world.  What fellowship with God that God would choose to bless in such a way and that you would hear Him when He speaks!       

     2.  God Orchestrated the Encounter Between Simeon and Jesus.

1) After giving birth to a child and waiting the prescribed period of time, a Jewish woman had to come to the Temple to be purified in the prescribed way.  It was in connection with this levitical act that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem.  Every first-born Jewish son had to be presented to Jehovah God as belonging to Him in a special sense.

2) Joseph and Mary offered a sacrifice of two young doves, which cost about 16 cents.  They obviously could not afford to offer a lamb, so the one dove was to serve as a burnt sacrifice instead of the lamb with the other dove as a sin offering.

3) The remarkable thing is that Simeon knew at once that this was the heavenly child, and that, when he stretched out his arms, Mary gave him the baby to hold.  In fact, the Greek tense used indicates that Joseph and Mary brought Jesus in at the very moment Simeon entered to see the child.

Lenski: “It all seemed so natural and yet was all directed supernaturally.”

     3.  Simeon’s relationship with God caused him to recognize Jesus as the Christ.

1) What kind of relationship do you have with God this morning?  If He chooses to speak to you this Christmas will you be close enough to hear and understand?

 2) Is your faith and your commitment to God a living, growing experience, or are you just going through the motions, doing what you’ve always done just because that’s what you’ve always done? Do you live your faith at home and at work, or do you separate your Sunday morning faith from what you do the rest of the week? If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

3) Are you doing your best to make Christ real to the people around you, or is there nothing about the example you set that would tell people you believe and follow Him? Do you have a faith that asks what you can do for God, or do you only care about what God can do for you?

II. Do you really know God this morning?

Do you know Him well enough that you seek Him more than anything else in this life?

Paul expresses this kind of passion for God: “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Phil. 3:7-11) 

Throughout Scripture God urges us to seek Him so that we may know and experience Him:

Deu. 4:29, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

1 Chron. 28:9, “For the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you.”

Prov. 8:17, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”

Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the Lord while He may be found: call on Him while He is near.”

Perhaps what you need most this Christmas is not bigger and better gifts, but instead, a life transforming encounter with the Christ of Christmas!

Jesus came to change the world, one person at a time, to call us away from the things that lead to spiritual death and lead us to the way of truth and life. He came to make us new creations, to reassemble us as our Creator intended us to be.

CLOSE:

Are you ready for Christmas?  

No, I don’t mean have you bought all the gifts you intend to buy.  

No, I don’t mean will there be enough money (or credit) to go around this year. 

No, I don’t mean have you done your baking.  

No, I don’t mean, are the decorations all in order.

What I’m asking is, are you prepared for Christmas by knowing the Christ of Christmas.  Is He your Lord?  Do you walk daily in intimate communication with Him?  Is He your first thought at the beginning of the day and your last thought as you go to sleep at night?

You can invite Him today to have that kind of relationship with you.  Why not make your best preparation for Christmas this year by seeking Him?

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Why Advent?

The word Advent derives from the Latin word adventus meaning coming.  The Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in Scripture to refer to the Second Coming of Christ.  When applying this to Christmas, the season of Advent both celebrates the incarnation of Christ more than two thousand years ago, and anticipates the promised coming again of Christ. Advent is truly a celebration in three tenses-- past, present, and future.  The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, to relish his grace for today, and to be alert for his Second Coming.

It is our prayer that the nearness of Christ is made more real to us through the traditions, colors,  and special rituals of Advent. What could be more wonderful than a Christ-filled Christmas?!

Study Guide: "A Christmas List"

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

OPEN:

For as long as I can remember, I've heard people complain that Christmas is too commercial. Even in the movie "A Miracle on 34th Street", which was filmed more than 50 years ago, one of the characters complains that most people are too caught up in the material aspect of the holiday. It has probably always been this way. As long as Christmas has been celebrated, I'm sure there have been people warning us about the dangers of it becoming too commercial.

During Advent this year we'll try to get past that. Today we're beginning a series called "A Simple Christmas." For the next few weeks we're going to look at ways we can make this a Christ-centered Christmas—one in which we grow closer to him and connect with our loved ones on a deeper level; one in which we learn to avoid the craziness that often plagues our lives in December, and in which we discover, in the process, what Christmas is really all about.

Today we're going to talk specifically about connecting with our family and friends. If you want to get the most out of this Christmas, then forget (for awhile) what you need to buy and what you need to do, and spend some time focusing on the people you will be seeing during the holidays.  The first step in celebrating a simple Christmas is to connect on a deeper level with the people in your life. 

Our text is from a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Thessalonica. They were a group of believers whom Paul loved very much. In this letter, he pours out his heart to them. The same way that he shares his heart with that group of Christians in Thessalonica is the way we need to share our hearts with the people in our lives. These four verses in 1 Thessalonians 3 show us a Christmas list (three lists, actually) that we can make for our family and friends. Let's take a look at them.

First of all, to begin the process of experiencing a simple Christmas...

I. Make a list of  the most important people in your life.

Your wife, your husband, your children, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends, and on and on. Sometime during the week, take the time to make a list of all these people. And then—before the holidays are over—make it a point to do two things:

1. Thank God for bringing them into your life, and

2. Tell them how much they mean to you.

This is what Paul did. In verse 9, Paul says...

(v. 9) How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of God because of you?

Paul was grateful for his relationship to the believers in Thessalonica, and he expressed his gratitude to God, and he expressed his appreciation to them. He took the time to say "Thank you...I appreciate you...You fill my life with joy."

This seems like such a simple thing to do, but I would dare to say that many of us don't say these things often enough. If you want to establish a deeper connection with the people you love, make an effort to express your appreciation.

If you're an adult, chances are it's been a very long time since you've told your brothers or sisters or mom or dad how much you love and appreciate them. And if you've been married more than a decade, chances are it's been awhile since you've told your spouse. So, tell them now. This Christmas is a good time to make up for lost time. You don't have to be melodramatic about it; you only have to tell them how you feel about them in plain, simple language. In fact, you can use Paul's words: How can I ever thank God enough for all the joy you have brought into my life?

So, make a list of the list of the people you love, and make an effort to tell them. Secondly...

II.  Make a list of intangible gifts you can give to each one.

Paul said,

(v. 10) Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

He wanted to meet with his friends in Thessalonica and build up their faith. He knew at that particular time that was what they needed most.

As you think of all the people you love, take some time to think about something you can give to each one—something they really need. I'm not talking about X-Boxes, or HD TV's, or pot-holders, or hand-towels for the guest bathroom—I'm talking about something much more personal. Something non-material. Something intangible. There is something you can give to each one on your list—a word of encouragement, a smile, a hug, a pep-talk, an apology, a compliment. 

Ask yourself, "What does this person need most? What can I say to them? What can I do for them. How can I give them a lift?"

This year, in addition to the gifts that you buy for the people you love, make an effort to give each one something intangible—something that tells them how special they are to you. Thirdly...

III. Make a 'wish list' for each one, and share that list with them and with God.

I use the term "wish list" because it is, after all, Christmas. What I really mean is a prayer list. This is what Paul did for the Thessalonicans. He said,

(v. 12-13) May the Lord make you love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as our does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Paul is saying, "What I want for you, dear friends, is that you grow in love, and strength, and holiness."

Think of the people on your list. What do you want for each one? Obviously, you want what is best for them. Just by telling them this, you will strengthen their hearts and encourage them.

There are few things in life as pleasant as hearing someone say they wish the best for you. This holiday season, I encourage you to make it a point to tell each one of the people on your list what your prayer for them is.

The greatest gift you can give anyone is to pray for them—for a number of reasons. One obvious reason is that prayer works. God answers prayer. When you pray for someone, God begins to move in that person's life.

If you'll take the time to pray for the people in your life, two things will happen. 

1.You'll strengthen that person. 

2.You'll strengthen your relationship to that person.

CLOSE:

Look at the list of the people God has placed in your life— the people you love the most; the people who bring you the most joy. They will be an integral part of your Christmas this year. How you relate to them will determine what kind of Christmas you have.

If you want to have a great Christmas—if you want to go beyond all the holiday hype and experience the joy of a simple Christmas—then make an effort to connect on a deeper level with the people you love. Take the opportunity this Christmas season to tell them what they mean to you, and give thanks to God for them. In addition to toys and trinkets, make the effort to give them something intangible and meaningful. And most of all, create a prayer list especially for them, and share it with them and with God.

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is each other—our family and friends. Let's enjoy these gifts; let's celebrate a simple Christmas together.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Black Friday

What if it truly is a "Black Friday " for you? In other words, what do you do when it's impossible to see any hope from the core of present circumstances? The following may help:

George Matheson was born to privilege.  At the University of Glasgow he graduated first in classics, logic, and philosophy.  Then, in his twentieth year of life, he became totally blind.  He followed God's call to ministry anyway.  Matheson pastored some of Scotland's finest and largest churches, wrote books of philosophical theology which are still read and cited today, was theologian to Queen Victoria, received numerous honorary doctorates, filled the most prestigious lectureships in the land, and was a fellow of the Royal Society.

This prayer by George Matheson may help you have Thanksgiving this week: My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn.  I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn.  Teach me the glory of my cross, teach me the value of my thorn. Show me that I have climbed to thee by the path of my pain.  Show me that my tears have made my rainbows.

Annie Dillard observed, "You do not have to sit outside in the dark.  If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is required."

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, Thoughts inspired by the Denison Forum)

Simple Thanks

As a younger man I sought to be complex, thinking that would make me a deeper person.  The older I become, the more I realize that profound depth and relevance come from reflective simplicity--love of God, love of family, love of friends, a beautiful creation to inherit and cherish.  Substance for meaningful living consists of simple thanks.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

STUDY GUIDE: "Getting to the Root of Gratitude"

Text: Hebrews 12: 14-17

OPEN:

The first American Thanksgiving didn't occur in 1621 when a group of Pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly Indians. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier, and it wasn't a feast. The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.

There is something powerful about gratitude.

Cicero: “Gratitude is the parent of all virtues, a virtue that begets all other virtues.”

Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘thank you’—that would suffice.”

Author Angeles Arrien (Living in Gratitude: A Journey that will Change your Life): “Gratitude is a state of being that is essential to a life well lived.”

The author of Hebrews is saying exactly the same thing when she writes:

“Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled.”

But, how do I get there?  How do I become a grateful person?  How do I get to the root of gratitude?

Gratitude is choice we make in light of God’s grace.

I.       The Root of Gratitude is Grace.

The key to peace and holiness is the grace of God.

Margaret Visser (The Gift of Thanks: The Roots and Rituals of Gratitude): The root grat in the word gratitude means “a given gift”.  It is from this word that we get our word “Grace.”

Grace is often defined as “unmerited favor”.  It is what God gives to us that we could never earn or deserve.  He lavishes on us his love and mercy.  Were we to work our hardest for ten million years, we would not have earned one drop of Christ’s blood that was shed on the cross for our pardon. (“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8)

Gratitude is essentially the recognition of the unearned increments of value in one’s experience.

International Encyclopedia of Ethics: Gratitude is “the heart’s internal indicator on which the tally of gifts outweighs exchanges.”

When I deeply and consciously understand that:

            I would be lost for all eternity apart from God’s grace,

            Everything I have is a gift from a God who loves me unconditionally,

            Although I could never deserve it, I stand completely forgiven,

The result is thanksgiving!

II.    Gratitude is a Choice.

It is vital to our understanding of gratitude to recognize the little word “Obtain.”

Grace is entirely the work of God, but it is appropriated to us as we choose to receive it.

“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become the children of God.” John 1:12

In much the same way, gratitude is a choice.

M. J. Ryan (Attitude of Gratitude): “Gratitude is a stance we voluntarily take.”

Gratitude is a choice born of contentment.

Philippians 4:11 : “I have learned to be content with whatever I have.”

1 Timothy 6:6: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

If we think that we need more in order to be happy, we have fallen into the snare of materialism and covetousness. If we can’t say “I can be content with whatever I have,” we are building our lives on a foundation that will bring doom.  The average home today (in the U.S.) is twice as large as the average house constructed after WWII. The National Association of Homebuilders reports that the average American house went from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004. But get this - while our houses have gotten bigger, our average family size has gotten much smaller. We are getting bigger houses because we have more stuff. 

But, for many Americans, even bigger houses are not enough to store our stuff.  According to the Self Storage Association, a trade group charged with monitoring such things, the country now possesses some 1.875 billion square feet of personal storage. All this space is contained in nearly 40,000 facilities owned and operated by more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, including a handful of publicly traded giants like Public Storage, Storage USA, and Shurgard.  We even have reality shows about it ("Storage Wars").

What this translates into is an industry that now exceeds the revenues of Hollywood. One in 11 American households, according to a recent survey, owns self-storage space—an increase of some 75 percent from 1995. So, our homes have more than doubled in size and yet we still need to tack on a billion-plus square feet to store our stuff!

Yet, surveys show that many Americans feel like they’re just making it, barely able to stay even. But what’s remarkable is that this feeling is not restricted to families of limited income. It’s a generalized feeling, one that exists at all economic levels:

·         39% of all households making $50,000 a year say that they cannot afford to buy everything they really need!

      ·         33% of all households making $100,000 a year say that they cannot afford to buy everything they really need!
      ·         27% of all households making more than $100,000 a year say they cannot afford to buy everything they really need. Nearly 20% of these say they "spend nearly all their income on the basic necessities of life."
      ·         Overall, half the population of the richest country in the world say they cannot afford everything they really need.

Hebrews 13:5, 6: “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’  So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’”

      ·         This is not fatalistic resignation.  It is joyous recognition that God is always at work in my life.

In Europe there are some bells strung across a mountain range.  There is no rope suspended from the bells; no human hand ever rings them. Their sound is heard when the wind blows.  In the autumn there may be a few tingles as gentle winds move the bells, but during the gales of winter they peal forth their most majestic music.

God brings out the best in us under the pressure of tough times.  Let us thank Him we are alive today and for the things He does on our behalf in the present tense: “Thank you Lord for today!”

Gratitude is much more than saying “Thank you.”

      ·         Not every language has a way of expressing love (e.g. Meru), but every language in the world has a way of saying thank you.

·         We say thank you much like we offer benign greetings to one another.  It is a formality.

·         Gratitude is far more than mere formality.  It is recognizing that everything is present and possible because of God’s grace, and choosing to be content in light of God’s grace. (“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”  )

Brother David Steindl-Rest (a Benedictine monk): “Gratefulness is the inner gesture of giving meaning to our life by receiving life as a gift.”

III.   The Opposite of Gratitude is Bitterness.

Gratitude is a state of being.

Appreciation is the recognition of that which makes us feel grateful.

Thankfulness is the demonstrative expression of it. 

·         Express thanks in words and/or deeds.

·         Gratitude often ignites acts of generosity; we are moved to offer ourselves to others without expecting anything in return.

The enemy of gratitude is bitterness.

·         Bitterness refuses to recognize grace, choosing, instead, to dwell on what we’ve earned but haven’t received.

·         Bitterness stems from discontent—in others and/or in myself.

·         Bitterness destroys—

             Relationships, Self-esteem, Productivity

·         Bitterness is a cancer that, if left untreated, eventually eats away everything necessary for life, leaving a hollow shell of humanity.

·         An example  of bitterness is given—Esau (Genesis 25).

CLOSE:

Gratitude is a choice we make in light of God’s grace.

 (Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)