God's Revelation / Creation's Response
Yesterday I had the opportunity to deliver the sermon during our church‘s worship service in the absence of our pastor. The title of my message was, “Fulfilling Your Purpose in 2008″ and it focused on the reason God made us: for His own glory.
If you’re interested, you can find the audio here.
Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
Ray Ortlund was a well-respected pastor, theologian, and author. His wife, Anne, has also written several books, one of which (Up with Worship: How to Quit Playing Church) I’ve read numerous times and have assigned to worship ministry participants to read. Dr. Ortlund passed away in July of this year, but his legacy lives on in many ways. His son, also a pastor and author, has begun writing a blog I’ve already found to be beneficial and convicting. Stop by Dr. Ray Ortlund, Jr.’s Christ Is Deeper Still and bookmark the site or subscribe to the RSS feed. This is a great addition to the “blogosphere.”
Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
Today is December 24, Christmas Eve. My family has its traditions, as I am sure yours does. Today we’ll hang out together, not doing much of anything. We’ll probably visit with some friends and maybe go see a big Christmas light display. We’ll continue reading our annual advent story, Jotham’s Journey, which we’ve actually managed to make it through this year. Tonight our children will open one gift before going to bed. I may make some of my favorite Christmas cookies, which aren’t at all healthful, but they’re so good. I love Christmas time.
But in the midst of all of the activity and the shopping and the traveling, let’s not forget that at its core, Christmas is about a holy God’s setting aside His glory for a season and becoming a man destined to die so that His children would be counted as righteousness in His eyes. We can dress the events of Christmas in our own language by saying that “Mary wrapped the first Christmas present,” but it’s much more than that. So much more we’ll never understand it fully.
Have a blessed Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
God bless ‘em for trying, but this is simply a misguided attempt to grow the church.
HT: Kevin Cawley
Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
I’ve been pondering the concept of dark and light this Advent season. The Bible shows us that light was the first thing God proclaimed “good.” When God created light, the only things that existed were the earth and the heavens. The earth had no shape, no form. It couldn’t support life in any way. In fact, it was as close to a non-entity as anything ever has been. Darkness prevailed.
But then, God created light. And with light came hope and life. Plants and animals and humans operated in perfect communion with their Creator. Until sin took over. Darkness prevailed once again; but this time, it was a spiritual darkness, not physical darkness.
The thing about darkness is that it is absolute. Darkness and “the dark” are not the same thing. My family and I decorated our home for the Christmas season this weekend. When we do that, we have to rearrange furniture. If I were to have to walk through the house in the middle of the night, that could be a dangerous prospect because it is dark–really dark–in my house at night. But if I stand where I know it is safe, just for a few seconds, to let my eyes grow accustomed to the limited amount of light coming in from the windows, I can maneuver through the house without any pain. While there is an extremely limited amount of light coming from outside, there is still light; and while my vision may be limited, I can still see enough to get around.
Darkness, however, is the complete absence of light. Vision is not just limited, it doesn’t exist. As long as there is a sliver of light, though, there is no darkness. It may be dark, but there is always the hope of that tiny bit of light.
God tasked Isaiah with bringing hope to the people of Israel.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep
darkness,
on them has light shined.
Isaiah 9:2 ESV
Israel had been walking in spiritual darkness from the time of the Fall. They were God’s people still, but they had to live under the law and their obedience to the law determined their favor with God. But God promised them hope. He promised them light. And once the Light was given, darkness could never prevail again.
John testifies to what Isaiah had been prophesying. The Son of God was the Light that would scatter forever the darkness of spiritual death. People without Christ live in spiritual darkness, but they are not without the hope of the Light of Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the hope (Hope) of Light to break through their darkness. Paul writes that God “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV). Not only has that light broken through our own spiritual darkness, but we can and must use it to bring the hope of light to others who are in spiritual darkness.
I pray you will take an opportunity during the Advent and Christmas seasons to spread the Light of Christ to those in your world who may be living in spiritual darkness so they may see a great light and experience the hope of darkness shattered.
Impacting the Kingdom through Worship,
