Immanuel

Who is your favorite superhero? Mine has always been Superman, though I do confess to watching and enjoying that cheesy Batman series in the 60's.

For some reason, as we were singing the third of six (yes, there really are six verses) of Silent Night at the Christmas Eve service at my sister's church in Kitchener last night, the Christmas Story became about a real-life Superhero.

Silent night! Holy night!
Brought the world peace tonight,
From the heavens' golden height
Shows the grace of His holy might
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Jesus, as man on this earth!

There it was, the root of all superhero stories - the Creator of the universe came from the heights of heaven with all His holy might, as a man on this earth... showing His grace. Amazing! Beyond comprehension! It's even beyond the imagination of the superhero story writers!!

In "Labor of Love", Jill Phillips sings about the baby being the "Maker of the moon", and the "Author of the faith that could make the mountains move." It's the making mountains move part where the story is even more amazing - look at 2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Perhaps this Christmas is more meaningful as we see the reality of the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. That's what the headlines have been about for weeks and months now. We long for a superhero to rescue us - look at the expectations put on President-elect Obama!

Immanuel, God with us, gives us hope. Immanuel means we can participate with the Divine, the Creator, and escape the corruption caused by evil desires. John 3:16-17 affirms that as the purpose for Christmas:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

What a phenomenal Superhero, one most worthy of our faith, not just this Christmas, but every day. And not just in our minds, but in our lives!

better to light a candle

It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

I always thought that was from the Bible, but apparently it's not. The closest I could find was Jesus talking about not hiding a candle under a bushel, instead putting it on a candlestick. Still, it's a good philosophy for life.

The church is too often known for what we're against, rather than what we are for. I know the issues are complicated, but to me, denouncing what we are against sounds more like cursing the darkness than lighting a candle.

During recent days and weeks, we're heard a lot of cursing the darkness, whether it be speaking out against Democrats winning the election in the US, greed behind the financial crisis and that unfortunate Black Friday trampling death in Walmart, or the Coalition here in Canada. The media have certainly been quick to whip up fear with the constant barrage of negative news, providing yet further opportunity to curse the darkness.

I'm reminded of Jesus's words: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone". In response, I have determined to do my best to light a candle.

Through a series of circumstances, I have come to the point of starting a business - in fact, it has now been incorporated for a week. This will be a "Kingdom" or "light a candle" business, doing the best it can to operate according to Kingdom or Biblical principles. This means being concerned for more than merely profit, but being servant-hearted in doing the right thing for all stakeholders: customers, team members, the environment, and return any financial blessing into Kingdom initiatives. I understand that's how corporations were originally conceived, but we've lost that in our "modern" day.

I know this is only one little candle, and may not make a huge difference on its own. But I can imagine the impact on our world if all of who align with the cause of Christ were to light a candle. It may be something as simple as $5 for two pair of shoes!

Give Us This Day

I'm sure you are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, as recorded in Matthew 6. Here is it in the King James Version, the one by which I have it memorized from my childhood days:

9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Most of us are likely good with this prayer, and many perhaps pray it frequently. But what about verse 11?

"Give us this day our daily bread."

Do we really mean that? Or, are we thinking about something more secure, like "Give us this day a guaranteed salary", or "Give us this day that big deal", or perhaps "Give us this day a big return on our mutual fund investments"?

Think back to the story of the Israelites in the desert, when God provided quail for dinner each evening, and bread from heaven each morning. Each one was to gather just as much as they needed. Of course, as Exodus 16:20 tells us, "some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell."

If this were happening in our day, we would likely build a complete manna eco-system:

• machines to gather the manna;
• large refrigerators to store it;
• contracts with exterminators to deal with any maggots (that was Wade's idea);
• health inspectors to give it a green, yellow or red rating;
• marketing and packaging teams to provide presentation;
  
• retail/distribution network to bring the manna to market; and
• green bins to properly recycle that which is not consumed.
  

In Matthew 6, Jesus goes on to tell us not to worry about what we eat, or what we wear, because God knows what we need. He tells us to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

During these times where our economic systems are failing, with dire predictions bombarding us from all the news outlets, do I/we worry, or trust the Creator of the Universe enough to pray for my daily bread as He instructed, and take Him at His word?

Leaving a Legacy

On Friday, we attended the funeral of my father-in-law's best friend, P. P passed away peacefully on Tuesday, with his family by his side in his 89th year. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, five children and eleven grandchildren.

P lived a long life, often filled with the kind of adventure most of us only watch on TV. He was born in a sauna (really!) on the island of Hiiumaa in the tiny country of Estonia, the 3rd of 10 children.

When the Soviet army first invaded in 1941, P was conscripted, and put on a train towards Moscow, possibly beyond, with one of his brothers. Rather than completing this trip, P and one of his friends jumped from the train into a field, hiding there until it was safe to move. They walked back over a few days, mostly through forests to keep cover. They found a small rowboat, and made their way back to the island. Soviet soldiers were bathing on the beach, fired on them and gave chase. Again, P and his friend ran into the woods for cover, and went their separate ways for safety. For months, P lived as a fugitive in his own home, with frequent treks into the woods when soldiers were spotted in the area.

When the German soldiers pushed the Soviets out, there was a short period of safety, but soon they also conscripting P. However, P fell ill with jaundice and was unable to serve. A couple of years later, when the Soviet army returned, P was able to flee to Sweden in a small boat with some 30 others. His brother remained on the train to Russia - they never saw each other again! And it would be many decades before P would see his home again.

P met his wife, L, in Sweden and were soon married. From Sweden, P & L came to Canada on their honeymoon trip on board a refugee ship. After a short time as a farm labourers in BC, where they slept under the stars the night of their arrival, P & L made their way to Toronto, with a couple of small suitcases of clothes and $2. P soon found work as a carpenter, working most of his life in commercial buildings. He taught himself how to play several musical instruments. He even took electronics courses relatively late in life, and repaired TV's and such as a hobby. The family lived in a semi detached house in east Toronto for many years, until P built the family's current home with his own hands.

P was a creative, out-of-the-box thinker who left a strong legacy. He was a man of faith, one of the founding members of the Estonian Baptist Church of Toronto, where many years later I was privileged to serve with him on the Board. I was also the beneficiary of his musical talents, playing clarinet and tuba in a unique vocal/instrumental choir that he assembled and conducted there. His creative carpentry skills helped build the TD Centre, the Eaton Centre, and the CN Tower. Perhaps the most unique legacy he left his family was carving their names into the very top of the tower - not many of us will be able to top that!

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Confidence or Despair?

My daily reading recently took me to Job 19 - Job is really down in this chapter. His "friends" have been taking him to task after he lost his wealth and his children. Look at some of his words:

2 How long will you torment me and crush me with words?

8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

13 He has alienated my brothers from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

17 My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own brothers.

21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.

22 Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?

This sounds like a pity party! and I was really feeling Job’s pain and despair! Thankfully, I haven't lost my children, but life has thrown a lot of hits, sometimes piling them on in bunches - I could really identify with him!

But then suddenly, out of the blue, the mood changes:

23 Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll,

24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!

25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Wow!

It's so very easy trust God in all things when life is good, when God's blessings are flowing. It's great when relationships are going well, health is good, there's a nice salary coming in, a bank account with positive numbers, and perhaps a sweet vacation trip or two on the horizon.

But, is my trust in God, or in the things He has so generously provided? How do I react when all that is gone, or threatened, as we hear every evening on the news?

For Job, life's challenges revealed where his trust lay. In the depths of his sorrow and pain, after all his losses, Job proclaims "I know my Redeemer lives!".

In his book, "Just Courage", Gary Haugen quotes John Stuart Mill's essay "On Liberty" written in 1859:

Christians seem to have the amazing ability to say the most wonderful things without actually believing them.

The sayings of Christ co-exist passively in their minds, producing hardly any effect beyond what is caused by mere listening to words so amiable and bland.

Perhaps my life need not be so manifestly shriveled and mediocre if I began to act as if what Jesus said were actually true.

Gary then writes:

You and I are rightly yearning to walk in the way of Jesus, to experience the intimate presence of almighty God, to live daily in a completely different way because we know Jesus.

I wonder - do we need moments of despair to reach the point of trusting in God, because that’s all we have left?

Or, can we live differently every day because we know the intimate presence of God, as Job did, so that when everything else is gone, his confidence in God remains strong?