The Spirit of Christmas

Almost everyone I know has some special feelings surrounding the Christmas season that don’t exist at other times of the year.  Those feelings are often described as “the spirit of Christmas” or “Christmas spirit”.  It might be that for some the phrase brings to mind Scrooge’s visits from mythical spirits in Dickens’ well worn story “A Christmas Carol”, but generally when people refer to the “spirit of Christmas” they mean something altogether different from that.  I’ve been thinking about just what it means. 

Even though for most Canadians the focus of Christmas has become trees and lights and gifts, certainly more so than Christ, it seems to me there is still a special feeling about the season that goes beyond those trappings.  Underlying all the commercialism and festivities is a feeling of warmth and goodwill that finds its way into almost every aspect of our lives.  It’s a feeling that can’t be explained by Santa and music and bustling malls. 

It may be short lived, just a few days perhaps, but Christmas brings displays of kindness and friendliness and cheerfulness that may not be expressed the same way at any other time of year.  Generosity abounds, as people who might not be prone to charitable giving at any other time of the year find a way to support toy drives, food banks, and other worthy causes.  People who may not always make time for family go to extraordinary lengths and travel great distances to be with family and good friends during the holidays.  Businesses shut down.  Commerce goes quiet.  Even battle fields traditionally go silent for a brief time, though the participants may not know the Prince of Peace or fully appreciate the true meaning behind the celebrations. 

This transformation that comes over much of the world every December 25^th is what people call the “spirit of Christmas”.  For those who don’t really believe in the Christ of Christmas, I’m not sure how they explain this annual change of feelings and attitudes.  I suppose they would attribute the warm feelings to fond memories of family traditions around the season, but that explanation doesn’t seem adequate to me.  Could it be more than that?  What is it about Christmas that makes hard hearts soften and bad attitudes mellow?

I believe in the “spirit of Christmas”, for lack of a better term, and I believe it does have a spiritual basis.  It’s not the lessons from the ghostly spirits of Dickens’ imagination, or even warm fuzzy feelings that are a byproduct of feel-good traditions.  It’s something more – something of profound spiritual significance that began with the proclamation of an angel 2000 years ago.  Remember the message of the angel who appeared to the shepherds on the night of Jesus birth.  “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”  As the night sky was suddenly filled with a great host of angels they further proclaimed “on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests”. 

When Jesus left behind the glories of heaven and came to be born in a Bethlehem stable it was the most important happening of all time.  This was a monumental event, and although it created a stir among a relatively few people on our world at the time, all of heaven was totally captivated and rejoicing with the birth of Jesus.  The gift of God’s own son to the world was such an amazing act, such a magnificent event that even the world’s calendar pivots around that time.  Augustus and Herod, great leaders by human standards, were manipulated by God like pawns on a chessboard so that every circumstance of Jesus’ birth would be according to His perfect plan.  The stars in the sky changed from their normal patterns to obey God’s will.  Heavenly beings appeared in all their glory to make the greatest announcement of all eternity. Nothing could or would ever be the same.

One of the greatest testimonies to the power and grace of God is that 2000 years later the proclamation of the angels still holds true.  In spite of a world that has largely turned its back on God and His amazing gift, even for those who do not acknowledge the deity of Christ and the true meaning of Christmas, the reality of Christmas still has the power to encourage goodwill and soften hearts.  Each year, at the time we have set aside to remember the birth of Jesus, there is an unexplainable sense joy and peace.  Just as the angels promised.  I believe that when God gave the gift of His Son, He also left a few other little gifts under the tree, as it were.  The angels told us about them ; gifts of joy for all the people, and peace for mankind.  I’m convinced that is the “spirit of Christmas” unbelievers often experience but are at a loss to explain.

Of course Christmas can be a time of sadness for some - those who are alone, or those who are reminded of joyful Christmas times past that can never be repeated.  But even for those whose feelings of sadness or loss are magnified by the festivities of Christmas, Jesus can still be the source of joy.  He’s still the Prince of Peace who 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.”

If you observe again this Christmas season that attitudes are just a bit brighter and the hearts of people are a bit softer, give thanks.  The gifts of joy and peace God gave on that night so long ago are still being felt even in the midst of spiritual darkness.  And if the joy and peace of Christmas don’t well up in your heart as perhaps they once did, I encourage you to look anew to Jesus, the ultimate gift of love who brings peace and joy to the hearts of those who seek him.


May you sense the presence and reality of Jesus in your life in a very special way this Christmas season.

God's priorities - different from ours?

Jesus was a radical. He was a non-conformist who challenged the views of just about everyone He came into contact with. His life and teaching was different from most people. As God, He was showing us God's way. He said crazy things like "love your enemies", and "store up your treasures in heaven". 

I don't know if it's entirely legitimate to try and sum up all of Jesus' teachings about life in one word, but if I could I might choose the word "priorities". I think Jesus taught us that the priorities we humans generally accept and live by are considerably different from what God says should be important to us.

Every Christmas it seems there is a "must have" toy. Are you old enough to remember parents frantically searching and willing to pay any price to get their hands on a Cabbage Patch Doll? Maybe you are more from the Tickle Me Elmo generation. Every year it's something, and I learned this week that the toy every good parent just has to buy for their children this year is the "Hatchimal". It's a giant egg that, as the child plays with it, decides to "hatch". It lights up and the shell opens and inside is a furry little creature that does wonderful things.

The only reason I know this is that I saw a news report the other day where parents lined up from 4:00 am for a chance to buy one of the last Hatchimals expected in the toy store before Christmas. A few people were there looking for an opportunity to re-sell the $70 toy, currently available on Ebay for $250 and more. Most were parents willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make sure their child would be one of the privileged few to open a Hatchimal on Christmas morning. One parent with tears in her eyes shared how important it was that her daughter be happy, and apparently a self hatching stuffed bird is the key to that happiness.

This would all be really absurd if it weren't simply an example of a problem most of us have. We have lost our sense of what's important. Our priorities and God's priorities for us are way out of line. Here's what James had to say about that.

"You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

You might assume I am talking about the human tendency to want more and more money and bigger and better stuff. That's part of it of course, but it goes way beyond that. Why do so many married people have affairs? Because their selfish desire for something they don't have is more important than the people who will be hurt. Why do people lie and cheat and treat other people badly in the workplace? Because they want more power or prestige and that's worth more than whatever collateral damage they cause to themselves and others. 

Do Christians have priority problems? 

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. He said the second is to love our neighbour as ourselves. If these were really the guiding principles of our lives, think how they would affect our priorities. 

• we would spend time praying, and reading the Bible, and really getting to know God
• we would want God's will for our lives, ahead of our own plans
• we would act in ways we know please God instead of doing what feeds our selfish desires
• we would put the needs of others at least on a par with our own
• we would give God his rightful place in our families, instead of a token acknowledgement 
• we would teach our children what's really importatant, instead of teaching them that happiness comes from opening a Hatchimal at Christmas
• we would give God his rightful place in our schedules instead of being so busy with our own priorities that there is no time left for God
• we would invest our time and resources in things that are eternal instead of the stuff we will leave behind
• we would treat others the way we want to be treated instead of always wanting to get our own way

Since I've used the "must have" toy as an illustration, I want to tell you a story. When we lived in Edmonton we were good friends with a couple that earned more money than just about anyone else in our church. The dad grew up as a missionary kid in Africa, and both he and his wife had inherited a healthy set of Godly priorities. The time of my story was during the Cabbage Patch craze and they had a daughter exactly in the age group that was crazy over the dolls. We went to their house at Christmas and were surprised to be joined by two homeless men Brian encountered and invited for Christmas dinner. During our visit the daughter was very pleased to show us her "Cabbage Patch" doll, which wasn't a Cabbage Patch at all, but a cheaper copy she was just as happy with. These are just examples of how they lived every day.

It's been a long time and we haven't been in touch with that family for many years, but I will always remember and respect them as a couple who had their priorities right, and consciously built those priorities into their children. 

We have a culture that promotes selfishness, and a God who promotes selflessness. I'm faced with a choice, and so are you. Which one are you buying into? Which one are you teaching your children? Are God's priorities reflected in your life and family?

  

AT THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL

The Gospel message is simple, right? Yes... and no. What we need to understand about the Gospel to come to faith in Christ is straightforward, to the point that many children have clearly understood and accepted this truth. Yet when we look beyond the simplicity and explore in depth what the Bible teaches us about God's plan of salvation there is so much more. Our appreciation for God and what He has done grows and grows as we discover the heart of God and the richness of this plan we call The Gospel. That's what we've been trying to do this fall in our "Grounded & Growing" classes, and once again no one has been more impacted by these discoveries than I.

We have been working to uncover God's plan from where it began, with creation, and follow it through to the amazing sacrifice Jesus made so we can be restored into relationship with God. One thing shouts out to me in every step of God's plan. GOD LOVES US!!!

I have been a follower of Jesus for more than 50 years, and I have to confess its really only been in the last couple of years that I have really come to understand and appreciate how much God loves us. I didn't really get what John meant when he wrote the words "God is love." I didn't really understand the fact that since the beginning of time as we know it God has been a loving Father reaching out to us, longing to bring us into a perfect relationship with Him, like Adam had on the day he was created in the garden. 

One of the things that has most helped me see this truth is the story Jesus told of the prodigal son. Jesus, who knows and understands the character of God in a way that by far exceeds anything we could imagine, described the Father's reaction when his wayward son came home. The love and compassion is overwhelming.

We can easily infer from Jesus words the Father watching the road in hope and anticipation of the day when his son would return. Not so he could scold or berate or punish, but so he could wrap his arms around his son and welcome him back into the family. Restoring that relationship with his son was uppermost in the heart of this loving compassionate Dad.

God has often been seen by those who don't know better as a stern and vengeful tyrant waiting to pour fire and brimstone on those who don't follow His every whim. That's not the God of the Gospel. That's not the God I know.

I know a God who created mankind so He would have someone to share His immense love with. I know a God who for thousands of years has used every means to draw His wayward children back to Himself. I know a God who allowed His own perfect Son to suffer and die and take on the sin of world because He loved us so much He just had to make a way for us to come back home. I know a God who has patiently endured mankind's sin and rebellion for millenia while extending His grace and invitation to return to Him. I know a God who is lovingly preparing a home for us where we can live for eternity.

People find it easier to see what they want to see in the life of Jesus. In Jesus we see love, compassion, grace, and mercy. They somehow have the impression that Jesus is the nice part of the trinity,  and that He holds God the Father back from pouring out His wrath on us. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus said in John 14: 9 "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". One of the things Jesus did was to demonstrate to us the character of God. He personified the love of God. 

Isn't God also a holy God who can't tolerate sin? Absolutely! He said the wages of sin is death. But he didn't make this pronouncement from a heart of anger and vengeance, but from a broken heart. That's why the verse in Romans goes on to say "but the gift of God is eternal life". 

God hates sin. In fact He can't stand it. What He hates even more is the fact that His people are captive and under the sentence of death that sin brings. Because He loves us. So much so that at a tremendous cost to Himself He made a way. That's the Gospel. That's why John says "God is love".

WILL I EVER LEARN TO LET GOD BE IN CONTROL?

I wish I could learn a lesson once, and then just follow it. Instead I seem to have to make the same mistake over and over, until I realize "oh yeah, I went through this before". 

I feel like that right now, and it relates to my Spiritual Formation ministry at The Mission. 

There have been occasions in the past when I have worked and worked on something in ministry and wondered why I wasn't seeing the results I expected. I was working hard and had the best of intentions but the breakthrough I was looking for wasn't happening. God had to bring me to the point of understanding that my best efforts weren't what counted. Ministry can only succeed when God is at work. When realized that and gave it over to God amazing things happened. This is a very important principle, and because of my experiences I have taught it to people far and wide.

Apparently that doesn't prevent me from falling into the same trap again and again.

My job at The Mission is to encourage and help people to grow spiritually. It's a really important job and I take it seriously. Over the past year I have worked diligently to teach and preach and write and organize all kinds of things to help that to happen. I've pursued what I thought were some pretty good ideas, and the response to many of these has been positive. Still, I can't escape feeling a bit of futility, asking myself "is the spiritual growth happening?" There are some positive signs, but I'm not a patient person and nothing ever seems to happen fast enough for me. Of course in my head I realize things like this take time and I will have to exercise some patience. Still, I have to ask, "Does God have more that He wants to do?" My answer is "absolutely!" The hard lesson is that it's not going to happen by me working harder or smarter.

I would love to see every single person at The Mission reaching their full potential in their relationship with God, but my best efforts aren't going to make that happen. It will happen when God is at work. That doesn't mean I should sit back and do nothing. It means I must allow God to be in control. It means I must faithfully follow His leading rather than simply pursuing my own "good ideas". And I must daily commit to Him the things that I can't accomplish.

Classes, sermons, conferences, and whatever other programs we can come up with won't create in people a desire to grow, and without that desire the best programs in the world will have little impact. Only the Holy Spirit can encourage in someone a desire to grow in their relationship with God. 

The things we want to see will only happen when God is at work. Here's something we must understand. God is not a follower. He insists on being the leader. He will step back and leave it to us if we insist on pushing Him out of the way or fail to let Him be in control. So how do we see God at work? We pray. 

I don't mean to say there has been no prayer. I pray about this fairly often. Others in the congregation pray regularly for the church and it's people. What I am saying is that it's time for us to go beyond a kind of token acknowledgement of God. It's time to take prayer from somewhere down the list of things we do, and put it at the top of that list.

Do we want spiritual growth? Let's pray.

Do we want to impact our community? Let's pray.

Do we want Godly leaders led by God?  Let's pray.

Do we need more workers? Let's pray.

Do we need resources? Let's pray.

Aside from a few people who are called specifically to a ministry of prayer, most of us have to actively do things in addition to our prayers. So I'm not suggesting we sit back and wait for God to wave His hand. He could do that, but for some reason He wants us to be part of the process. So we serve to the best of our ability, but only while constantly acknowledging God's leadership, our dependence, and our willingness to place Him and His plans above our own. I am recommitting to that personally, and in response to how I feel God is leading, I am calling on the people of the Mission to make that commitment as well. 

The essence of my prayer is something like this. Maybe you would adopt this kind of prayer as well.

"God, I thank you for calling me to serve you and for entrusting me with the responsibilities that come with that calling. It is a privilege to be your servant. The job you have called me to is a great challenge. In fact it is impossible for me to accomplish without you. So please forgive me for rushing ahead and trying to do your work on my own. I acknowledge once again that this is your ministry. The control is rightfully yours, and my role is to serve however you may lead. I want to see your will accomplished, and I want to do my part in the process, but I am totally dependent on you. I need your guidance, I need your enabling, and I for sure need you to do the spiritual work I am not capable of doing. So Lord, please take control of my ministry at The Mission. Help me to not run ahead of you, but give me patience to to await for what you will accomplish in your time. I am expecting great things at your hand." 

WILL YOU BE PART OF A PRAYER MOVEMENT AT THE MISSION?

I informed the congregation at The Mission on Sunday that I hope to launch a prayer movement at our church. I wouldn't dare go down this road just because I think it's a good idea. I am convinced in my heart that this is the priority God would have for me in the Spiritual Formation ministries over these coming months.

I don't know yet what that will look like. Even as I was preaching and making this announcement I really had no idea what that would entail. I have given it some thought since then, but I'm still pretty fuzzy on how to go about it. I stepped out and made a statement based on what I felt God was saying, and now I'm looking to Him for His guidance and instructions on how to pursue this challenge. The only thing I know for certain at this point is that we need to do it.

I am rather intrigued by a question raised by Corrie Ten Boom ("The Hiding Place). She asks, "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire." In other words, is prayer an integral part of your life so that you look to God for His guidance on a daily basis, or is your prayer life limited to a 911 call to heaven when you run into some problem?

Unfortunately, the truth for many of us is that prayer is our call for help when we need something. God intended that prayer be so much more than that. He wants us to "pray without ceasing", to be in constant communication with Him. It's how we get to know Him, learn to recognize His voice, and come to rely on Him in every thing every day. Our lives would be so different, so much better, if we had that kind of intimate relationship with God.

What is true for us as individuals is also true for the ministries God has established, like the Mission. Some people treat church as if it were the Rotary Club or the Kiwanis Club. There are lots of things that distinguish churches from good service organizations, the most important being that the church belongs to God. It is His organization. It is established by Him to serve His purposes. He entrusts people like us to be stewards of His work, but as good stewards we must always be aware that it's His work and He is the boss.

Here's another important thing that characterizes churches and other Christian ministries. The things we are supposed to accomplish are impossible. That's right, the basic things God established the church for are beyond our abilities.

God's plan seems a bit risky, doesn't it? He establishes churches. He puts people in positions of leadership to make those churches operate. Then He gives us a "mission statement" that He knows full well is impossible for us to fulfill. The only thing that makes the plan work is that He goes on to say; I know you can't do this, so rely on me and I will make it happen.

This spiritual truth isn't really that difficult to understand, but for some reason we keep forgetting it. We busily go about the task of doing what we think churches are supposed to do. We're often filled with a sense of futility because we aren't succeeding like we would hope, but at the same time we're failing to address the fundamental problem. We have left God out of the equation. We have the opportunity to be in partnership with the Almighty God, but instead of exercising that privilege we work away at trying to do the impossible, getting frustrated, and continuing to ignore the source of guidance and strength and miracles. 

Of course I'm exaggerating a wee bit to make a point. If we totally ignored God we would have closed up shop a long time ago. But I think you get what I'm saying.

We have all heard stories of a church body or a ministry organization that decided to truly make prayer a priority. They committed themselves to relying on God and tapping into the resources of heaven. The results were so amazing that the stories found their way into Christian lore as wonderful examples of what God can do when His people pray. We read those stories, are encouraged by them, then go on slugging away, largely trying to accomplish things in our own ability. 

Here's the bottom line. God established The Mission for a purpose, a very long time ago. We have done a pretty good job, I think, of articulating that purpose. "We envision The Mission to be a place of refuge, restoration, and transformation for the community." "The purpose of The Mission is to continually guide people into a transformative relationship with Jesus Christ." These are wonderful statements of what we believe God wants to accomplish through The Mission. They are also totally impossible unless God is in control and exercising His power to make things happen. 

So we can plug away with the best of intentions, trying to do the impossible, seeing good things here and there but never really breaking through. Or we can do what God intended from the beginning, to fully trust Him for the guidance and power to make it work.

As I was preparing and preaching the message God gave me last Sunday, my own heart was stirred. A number of people have told me that God was speaking to them as well. I say this not to be boastful in any way. I simply conveyed what the Word of God said, and God confirmed it to people's hearts.  I give Him all the praise and glory for that.

If you missed this message, would like to hear it again or share it with someone, you can find the recording on http://themissionchurch.ca/index.php/sermons/.

I am looking to God for ways to encourage and facilitate a special movement of prayer at The Mission. If God lays some thoughts on your heart I would be happy to hear from you. As God directs in the coming weeks we will be presenting opportunities for our congregation to participate. Won't it be wonderful to see what God can accomplish at The Mission when we totally rely on Him!

IT'S TIME TO PRAY

Over the course of my life, particularly in the last 30 years since I left my secular work to go into full-time ministry, I have seen God do amazing miracles. It has left me with a firm belief in the power of prayer. That doesn't mean I am consistently a prayer warrior. That's something I admit with considerable chagrin because I should be, given all that God has done. Still, there is no question in my mind that God moves when His people pray. I've seen it over and over again.

I remember a particular time when I was giving leadership to CEFOntario. We had recently gotten out of a significant deficit, and God had miraculously provided us with a camp facility near Brantford. But in the year following the move the ministry's finances were not looking too good. I was becoming increasingly fearful that we were going to slide into the deficit position we had worked so hard to overcome.

As the leader it was my responsibility to do something, so I considered all kinds of ways we could work to increase the donations which sustained the ministry. God didn't give me any peace with any of them, and I just couldn't proceed. As I fervently prayed for God's direction all I could sense was a need to have a special prayer effort.

So, I set a date and asked all of our staff to come from around the province to the camp for a special day of prayer. Our board was invited to come as well. We had a list of prayer partners (not donors - prayers) who I also invited to come. I shared my concern with our staff, and then by mail with the prayer partners who couldn't attend in person. We committed ourselves to prayer. 

To tell you the truth, I was expecting some kind of divine revelation, some clear sign from God for what we were supposed to do. Nothing like that happened, and we concluded the day only knowing we had been faithful to pray as He commanded us to.

I felt at the time that God did not want me to make a special appeal to our supporters, so beyond the list of those who were committed to pray no one was informed of our financial need. 

This all happened in May. Over the following several months we were able to keep our head above water and we continued to pray that God would do something special. And He did. December was usually a good month for us financially, but nothing like what we experienced that year. We didn't have any special appeals or do any new promotion, but we finished that year with the highest surplus we had ever had. Just seven months prior things were looking desperate.

God continued to bless over the next few years as well, and we were never again in financial danger. And the blessings didn't stop with the finances. He worked in miraculous ways in many other aspects of the ministry as well. What did we do? In obedience to God we prayed, and He did the rest. We gathered together and presented the need to the God of the universe. After all, it was His ministry, not ours.

God has allowed me to have this kind of experience on several occasions throughout my ministry. He has shown me how important it is to truly place things in His hands. rather than desperately trying to figure out plans and schemes that come from our own heads.

We are not facing desperate financial problems at The Mission. But almost every church and ministry these days, including The Mission, faces many challenges. Some of them are spiritual problems we can't fix. Some of them are relationship issues. Some of them are volunteer needs. The list goes on.

It's not about surviving. We can survive as we are. But it's about flourishing, seeing God accomplish the amazing things we know He wants to do. We have scratched our heads on numerous occasions wondering what the solutions are. What are other churches doing? What do the successful pastors and famous Christian authors say? Is there any way to make some headway with the kinds of challenges facing churches in 2016?

The answer has been staring us in the face all along. We need to look to God. Of course we've been praying, but we feel it's time to make prayer a greater emphasis in our congregation than it's been. As God gives us wisdom we intend to do a variety of things designed to mobilize the church to prayer. 

At this point it's not even a matter of having a list of specific prayer requests. The point is simply to turn The Mission, with all of it's programs and people and successes and challenges over to God and implore Him to bless His work. God wants the church to succeed more than we ever could. What we need to do is to trust Him, be obedient, and not get in His way.

If you're from The Mission you're going to be hearing a lot about prayer in the coming months. I don't know yet what it will all look like, but we are hoping to turn our congregation of 200 - 220 people into an army of prayers. Together we want to seek God to have His perfect will accomplished in and through us.

Are you on board? Why don't you pray about it.

AMAZING GRACE

This September 23 would have been my Dad's 90th birthday. He didn't make it that far, passing away from cancer at the age of 85. I still miss him and some days I wish we could sit down and visit like we used to. Even so, it was a glad passing in a way, since he had a solid trust in God and was looking forward to being relieved of the physical suffering he'd experienced for such a long time.

It's more than this upcoming birthday that has my Dad on my mind today. I've been thinking about God's amazing love and grace, and that made me think of Dad. He was a poster child for that grace.

My grandmother died at an early age, so Dad was on his own by age 15. Education wasn't an option but he was smart and worked hard at everything he ever did. He married early, started a family not long after, and managed to carve out a living through hard work and dependability. He was a good father and a solid provider, and it's hard to find words to describe how much he loved his family. 


Dad was not a Christian as a young man. As far as I know any thoughts of God were far from his mind. While he wasn't working or involved in family activity, he liked to have a good time in ways that were somewhat removed from what most of us would think of as a Christian lifestyle. But over the course of 1963, God began to pour out His grace in our family and things dramatically changed. The details are more than what I can include in this blog, but suffice to say the circumstances could only have been orchestrated by God. 

It started when my older sister accepted the Lord. Then it was me, and a younger brother, then my Mom got "saved". Over the months while all this was happening it became increasingly obvious that God was doing a work in my Dad's heart as well. In fact he was under the intense conviction of the Holy Spirit. Finally Dad gave in and accepted the love and grace of God in his life. It was a remarkable transformation that could only have happened through the supernatural work of God. 

Dad never did anything half way, so from the moment he made the choice to accept Jesus he was all in. Overnight he quit drinking. He quit swearing. He quit partying and fighting. In fact to me it seems the biggest struggles he faced as a new believer were not changes in his own life, but discovering and dealing with the fact that not every Christian is "all in". It bothered him a lot, and in all of his life I don't believe he was ever able to truly overcome the inner turmoil he felt over Christians who, in his eyes at least, compromised their Christian values or were halfhearted in their commitment to God. 

He was not a perfect man, but he loved God. For almost half a century he truly served God to the best of his ability. In his middle years, again by God's grace, he overcame more than one life threatening health issue. The fact that he lived a productive life to age 85, with a healthy and active mind right to the end, surprised many including his doctors. Today he lives in the presence of the God he served faithfully on Earth for close to 50 years. My Dad's life stands as a wonderful testimony of what God can do. It is one example of the amazing grace and love of Jesus. I, and so many others are recipients of that grace as well as the Holy Spirit continued to work throughout our family.

What's the point of all of this? Each of us has a story, and as followers of Jesus each of us has a story of the truly amazing love and grace of God in our lives. Unfortunately our sense of awe over what God has done sometimes fades a bit. It's like a precious metal that has been neglected and lost its shine. 

Today I'm polishing the silver,so to speak. I'm bringing to mind the wonderful work God did in my family. I'm realizing anew how blessed we are when we are the recipients of God's grace. I'm feeling just a bit overwhelmed just now that God reached down one day and transformed our lives. He called us His children and began to prepare an eternal home for us in His presence. 

I need to think about this more. I need to appreciate more what God has done for me. Instead I so often take for granted the incredible love of God and the supernatural work He did in my family, in my life. That's a tragedy.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE! REALLY?

Sunday September 11th is "Make A Difference" Sunday at The Mission. It's a catchy phrase for a service, isn't it? But is it real?

This Sunday we will be emphasizing the various ministries and opportunities for service at The Mission, and encouraging people to consider whether they should be involved in an area of service. The title of the service implies that by being involved as a volunteer you can make a difference in someone's life. Being that we are a church, the hope is that sometimes that difference will last for eternity. But is it really true? Is it worth it for you to take time away from your other activities to be involved in serving in your church? ABSOLUTELY!

I'm going to give you three reasons.

1. It's God's plan to get things done.

God equips people with gifts, and then expects them to use those gifts. Romans 12 says this. "We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach."

The Bible is clear. We all have certain abilities that God has given us. Of course each of us is different and we have different abilities. If everyone steps up and uses the gifts God has given, everything gets done. Not only that, it gets done in the most effective way possible and no one is stressed out. Have you noticed that people don't usually get stressed out when they are doing the things they are good at and comfortable with? There are some things I can do well. They come easily to me and I don't worry about them at all. On the other hand, there are things that are second nature to other people that cause me all kinds of worry and stress. I feel totally unequipped for those things.  When a willing person has to step up to fill a gap left by someone else, doing their best in an area where they're not gifted, stress happens. And of course the job doesn't get done as well. 

God's plan is for all of us to do our part. If that actually happened in any church, that would be an amazing church with amazing things happening!


2. God rewards faithful service. 

Look at this verse from Hebrews 6:10. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." Did you notice in this verse that by helping (getting involved) we are showing our love for God? And the verse makes it clear that God will not forget this loving service. 

This is just one of many ways that serving others is not just good for them, but for us. When we are involved in using our gifts for God we grow and experience rewards in so many ways. It's a win-win-win situation.

3. You truly can make a difference!

Some jobs don't seem at first glance to be all that significant.  We think anyone can do them. Or we think we don't really have any gifts that count. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Here's an example. You are working in the nursery, caring for babies and changing diapers. You are far from the service, and far from most people's attention. While taking care of babies may be gratifying for some people, it may seem like it doesn't have much value from a spiritual point of view. Consider this. A parent of a baby will not attend The Mission, or any church for that matter, if they are not confident their child is safe and well cared for. Not only will they stay home and miss everything that church has to offer, but they will not have the opportunity to use their gifts in the worship team, or teaching Mission Kids, or whatever area of ministry God has called them to. The nursery worker has an eternal impact on the parents, their families, and anyone else who will benefit from those parent's opportunity to minister.

Here's another example. You are a greeter at the door. So you hold the door and shake hands, right?  Big deal. Well, as one who has been a stranger in many many churches, I can speak first hand about the importance of someone who makes people feel truly welcome and comfortable. The greeter / usher is probably the first person a visitor will see. They will form lasting impressions about the church based on that first experience. Were they made to feel truly welcome? Did someone help them know what to do?  (where do the kids go? where do they hang their coat? where are the washrooms?) Even regulars feel good about their church when they receive a warm greeting.

Every job in the church has value in God's kingdom. Every task, no matter how insignificant in our eyes, has a rippling effect that impacts lives, often for eternity.



So can you really make a difference? If you are willing to use the abilities God has given you, finding an area of service that fits your gifts and personality, you will truly make a difference. It will make a difference in your life, and in the lives of others.

MAKE IT REAL

I recently read a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a famous German theologian from the first half of the 20th century. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned, and then killed near the end of the war for being part of a conspiracy to assassinate Adolph Hitler.The fact that a prominent Christian could choose to be part of an assassination plot is a problem for lots of people, but I'm not going to struggle with that issue today. There's something else I want to write about.

Something really caught my attention while reading this book. Bonhoeffer was a brilliant theological student. He completed his first PHD at the age of 21 and as a very young man kept company with men who were considered to be some of the greatest theological experts of the day. Over his lifetime Dietrich Bonhoeffer developed a rather conservative theological view based on a solid acceptance of the Bible as the word of God, and the need for a personal relationship with Jesus. However, it seems this was an uncommon point of view among the most prominent theologians of the day.

Pre-war Germany was a "Christian state". For the most part, if you were German you were "Christian". It was not unusual in that culture for people with an academic bent to choose theological studies, much the same way that others might choose to study philosophy, or Greek literature. For many young men and women, the Bible was simply a field of study, and they were prone to treat scripture as an interesting historical document rather than God's message to humanity. 

Many of the most prominent teachers of theology had a strongly liberal point of view. They dismissed the deity of Christ and even questioned the existence of God.They were experts in their knowledge of what the Bible said, but what the Bible taught had never become part of their personal experience. Among the great theologians of the day it seems that most never even went to church unless asked to preach at a special event.

My first thought is how odd that a person would choose to devote their entire lives to studying the Bible when they didn't even believe it. I suppose it's not unlike someone who spends their life becoming expert in Greek mythology. Interesting purely from an academic point of view, but life changing? Clearly not.

The other, and more important thing to occur to me is that knowing the Bible inside and out, being expert in what the word of God says, is clearly not nearly enough when it comes to truly being a Christian. Christianity is not about knowledge, it's about relationship. It's not knowing about God, it's really knowing Him and His Son Jesus Christ in a personal way.

I've shared this concept before, coming at it from a different direction, but it is so important. Knowing the Bible does not make me a Christian any more than studying about dogs makes me a Golden Retriever. The Pharisees of Jesus' day were experts in the Old Testament, in fact were required to memorize huge portions of it, yet the reality of what those scriptures were teaching had never sunk in. God's words had never changed them in the way He intended.

There are so many ways to go through the motions of Christianity without it really becoming part of our personal reality. Reading the Bible isn't enough. Living a pretty good life is not enough. Being kind and generous is not enough. Going to church is not enough. Even being a minister or church leader is not enough. These things may give a semblance of Christianity, and they may well convince others of something that really isn't there. But real Christianity is about accepting the word of God, coming to genuine faith in Jesus, and allowing scripture and the Holy Spirit to change us into the people God wants us to be.

When you think about it, it's amazing how many people have gone only as far as knowing stuff about God, or looking religious, without allowing God to transform their lives. The Bible is far more than a field of academic study. It is the living word of God.  Hebrews 4:12 says this.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

The Bible is so much more than a piece of classic literature. Consider this. What if our Creator wanted to communicate with us? What if He wanted to tell us how we can be in relationship with Him, and give us instructions for life? Wouldn't we want to devote ourselves to not just understanding the words, but doing what they said?

Well, we have those words right in front of us. Are you past the point where knowing the Bible is more than head knowledge, and where Christianity is more than a label? Is every part of your life guided by your faith in Jesus Christ and what God has to tell us through His word? You can be there.

WHO'S THE REAL ENEMY?

When I was a teenager we sometimes had missionaries come to our church with stories of Christians being persecuted in various places around the world. The greatest evil in those days seemed to be in communist countries, such as the (then) Soviet Union and China. We heard of Christians having to meet secretly in underground house churches because Christian gatherings were forbidden. We learned of brave missionaries smuggling Bibles into places where spiritually hungry believers had to circulate pages of scripture because no one had access to a whole Bible. There were many stories of people being dragged away to prison when their meetings were discovered, sometimes betrayed by government agents planted among the Christian communities. 

In those days Christianity in Canada was still relatively strong and healthy, though clearly beginning to show signs of apathy and compromise. 

As young people we looked at the persecution happening in far off places and wondered whether we would ever face that kind of trial as Christians here in Canada. I remember making this statement to my friends.  "Why would Satan want to bring persecution to North America? From what we've heard, when Christians are persecuted they become stronger, more serious, and more committed. If he wants to destroy the church in North America he's better to just let our apathy and laziness and compromise grow."

I wasn't speaking prophetically, just logically. And I think what lots of us foresaw back in the 60's has come to pass.

Yes we get annoyed that we can no longer pray in schools and public institutions. And we get in a huff and circulate emails when it seems our rights as Christians are being trampled on for the sake of giving more rights to people of other faiths. Things have changed for us, but we can still go to church without being fined or jailed. We can still proclaim Christ on radio and TV. We can still educate our children in the word of God. What we hold as truth isn't the popular opinion anymore, and it's not quite as "comfortable" being a Christian in Canada as it was forty years ago, but we are still a very long way from being persecuted as Christians experience even now

in many parts of the world. 

No, the greatest enemy of the Christian in North America is not a hostile government. It is our apathetic, "who cares" approach to our personal faith. There are individual exceptions obviously, but in general we are just not very serious about what should be the most important element of our lives, our relationship with our Creator.

I don't mean to get on a soapbox with finger pointing at anyone. I'm just trying to bring attention again to what is really quite obvious, that we Christians in Canada could stand to be a whole lot more serious about our faith in Jesus. 

Do we believe that God is our Creator? Do we believe that Jesus is our Saviour? Do we believe we are destined to spend eternity in a spectacular place called heaven where God Himself lives? Do we believe there are rewards in heaven that will last forever, and they are based on what we've done with the 70 or 80 years we spend here on earth? Do we believe people all around us who don't know Jesus are headed toward an eternity without God, in a place the Bible calls hell?

These are things most of us as Christians profess to believe, but somehow we continue to go about our lives as if they hardly matter. The most important thing in the whole world is our relationship with God, but we somehow lack the passion to know Him. We let so many other things distract us from praying, reading our Bible, growing in Jesus, and serving Him as He wants us to. 

Since first taking on the role of Director of Spiritual Formation, I have said often the biggest challenge is not providing programs or encouragements to help people in their spiritual growth. The biggest challenge is that not many of us want it enough to personally invest the time and effort. And sadly, on far too many days I have to include myself in that statement. 

I suppose we have lost some of our "Christian rights" in Canada. But I still say the greatest threat to Christianity in this country is not persecution. Most of our freedoms are in tact, and our leaders are not being jailed or tortured. Our numbers are diminishing and our impact is waning because apathy and other priorities have caused us to lose focus on what's really important; a growing relationship with the one who created us. God wanted that relationship so desperately that He suffered and died so it could happen. What about us? What are we willing to do to walk with God?

GO FOR THE GOLD!

Are you a fan of the Olympics? I do look forward to them coming around every couple of years. I can't really account for the fact that for two weeks I watch sports I would never consider watching at any other time.  Somehow that's what the Olympics accomplishes with me, and I suppose a lot of other people too.

I suppose one of the things that make the Olympics fascinating for me is the level of commitment from young athletes. These young people, many of them teenagers, sacrifice many of the things their peers would be pursuing, and give themselves over totally to achieving their goal. Certainly they have to be born with certain physical attributes, but I believe what separates them from the rest of us is not only their athletic gifts. It is their single minded dedication to develop what they've been given to achieve their goal. Most of us simply don't have that drive.

It strikes me that the Olympics are a metaphor, much like the parables Jesus told about the servants who were given talents of silver. Each of them had to decide what they were going to do with the talents they had been given. The story teaches us that some people, like the fellow with ten talents, will strive to make the most of what they've been given, and will become the champions.  Others start out with less but still apply themselves to accomplish the best they can with what they have. Others, like the servant with one talent, aren't really willing to put out any effort at all. That fellow ended up worse off than when he started.

Each of us has been given abilities and resources and opportunities. God has granted them to us for a purpose. He wants us to invest them in accomplishing something for His kingdom. Just like the swimmer does not excel on the gymnastics court, we won't be able to do everything with excellence. Part of our task is to discern where we are gifted and make the most of developing and using that gift. Some will become world champions and some will have more moderate accomplishments, but like the Olympic athlete we can work and train and commit ourselves to doing the very best we can with what God has given us. Or like the man in Jesus' parable, we can bury our talent and accomplish little or nothing.

Can you imagine what would happen if Christians had the same drive and commitment to use their talents as what an Olympic athlete has? The Olympian strives to stand on the podium and receive a gold medal around their neck. The Christian goal is to stand before God and have Him say, "well done". Medalists are eventually forgotten and their prizes locked in a trophy case. For the Christian the rewards of a life dedicated to God are eternal!

We will begin this fall at The Mission with "Make A Difference" Sunday. It's simply an encouragement for every Christian to identify how God has gifted them and use that gift in some way for the benefit of God's work. The truth is we all have two choices.

1.  to use our gifts with dedication and commitment and strive to do our absolute best
2. bury our talent and not really accomplish anything

I can't help but wonder what it would be like if we had more of an Olympian spirit in our churches. How would things be different if large numbers of us were truly committed and working hard to do our best for God, to receive the prize God has in store for us when we stand before Him one day?

WHAT IF TODAY WAS MY LAST?

Do you remember what you were doing this past Sunday afternoon? I was in London enjoying the day with my grandchildren, and keeping an eye on the gathering clouds in case we got rained out. I had no idea that at that time, just a few blocks from my home in Tillsonburg, a man was about to be struck by lightning. In the blink of an eye, with no warning, this well liked man in the community was suddenly facing eternity. While my life and the lives of those close to me were going on as normal, the lives of the Johnson family were about to be dramatically changed, forever.

What a reminder of the uncertainty of life. How many of us have known people who got up in the morning assuming that all would go on as usual, only to be struck down suddenly in a car accident or with a heart attack. Only God knows how our day will end.

Matthew 6:27 says "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life." While the message of this passage has to do mostly with trusting God, it reminds us as well that our lives are in God's hands. We can eat right and exercise properly and see the doctor regularly, all things we should do, and still have no guarantee that we will see tomorrow.

Perhaps you think I'm trying to scare you. I'm really just wanting us to ask the question Peter asked when he was talking about the end times in 2 Peter 3:12 "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives..."

Peter asked a pretty important question, don't you think? In light of the fact that our lives can be ended or forever altered in an instant of time, what should our lives look like? How should we act? How should we spend our time? What should our priorities be considering that any day could be our last?

When I was younger I was like most young people. I felt like I was immortal. The idea of death or old age seemed very remote. Now that I'm getting older it's not quite as abstract as it once was. Even though I'm still in my early sixties, quite a few friends and relatives I've known over the years who were my age or younger are already gone. Maybe you can attest to the fact that attending the funeral of someone younger than yourself has a way of making your own mortality seem a bit more real. This is certain. One day my life will end and I will be face to face with God. It could be thirty years from now. It could be today. So what does that mean?

Some would say it means I should live as if each day could be my last. That sounds right in a way, but is it practical or even possible? The truth is if I knew I was going to die tomorrow this wouldn't be anything like any other day. I would be scurrying around seeing people and passing on my "last words" to loved ones, and putting my final affairs in order. In that sense living every day like it's my last is not realistic. And the problem with setting unrealistic goals is that we are doomed to failure.

So what is realistic? How should I live each day knowing that it probably won't be my last, but it might? Let me put it another way. If I suddenly find myself in heaven will I be able to look back over the past few days (or weeks, or months) and be content with the way I have lived and what I have done with my life?

What would my life have to look like in order for me to have that sense of contentment? I suppose it has to do with things like:

• how I treated my family
• how I treated other people I know
• how I showed love to people I don't know
• whether I have served God and others the way he wants me to
• whether I have spent my time and talents and resources appropriately
• whether I have had a healthy spiritual life and a good relationship with God
• whether my lifestyle and behaviour was pleasing to God

Hearing of the sudden death of someone, like the tragic case of Dave Johnson in Tillsonburg, may cause us to reflect on our lives. Here's the question that comes to my mind and that I challenge you to consider as well. If I were to be face to face with God today, would I be able to stand before Him in confidence, knowing I have lived in a way that is pleasing to Him? I suspect we all feel we come short of that high goal. So let's use this question as an opportunity to move closer to the ideal in our relationship with God and what we do with the days He gives us.