SEARCHLIGHT

  DECEMBER 29, 2023 Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.   He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”   When I use the words, the work of Christmas, what do you think of? Maybe you think the work of Christmas is all the preparations and the energy that you put into trying to create the perfect Christmas experience for your family and your friends. Perhaps the work of Christmas for you is finding the perfect Christmas tree, or centerpiece for the Christmas dinner table. The work of Christmas might be untangling the tree lights, for you. Is the work of Christmas for you, the search for that perfect gift for your wife, husband, son, daughter, or mom and dad. For some, the work of Christmas maybe maintaining a joyful and expectant spirit in a season of grief, sorrow, sadness and an emptiness of hear

  DECEMBER 28, 2023 Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”   Over this Advent and Christmas season I have been doing some reflection on what the Bible is asking of me, or teaching me through the readings from Isaiah, Matthew and Luke. What I began to see was that these much-loved narratives in the Gospel’s invite us to be receivers. Now I know, that seems a bit contradictory to how we mostly respond to the Christmas message. The strong emphasis on giving and generosity is the focus. Think of the last month in our congregation, we did a lot of giving, served free community meals, held a Community Food Drive for our local food bank, we transformed a bare tree in our entry into this colorful Mitten tree for children in our area, some of you baked cookies that we were able to share with over 40 families, and our GEMS club gave the gift of time and song to carol in our neighborhood, with all of that we still gav

  December 27, 2023   Titus 2:11   11For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. “For the grace of God has appeared, that offers salvation to all.” In this one verse we find a summary of the Christmas story. The Christmas Story is really at its foundation the story of God’s grace. This verse in Titus, instructs us that the event of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is all about grace. God’s grace makes its appearance in Jesus Christ. The appearance of grace has its purpose in the salvation of “all people.” New Testament writer Beverley Gaventa reminds us that “All people” includes sinner and penitent, persecutor and persecuted, “insiders” and “outsiders” of every type.” The point is God’s saving grace knows no limits. Grace teaches all of us Jesus followers to wait for “the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all i

  DECEMBER 26, 2023   Colossians 1:19-20 19  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  20  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.   Christmas is about hope, a hope given to humankind at the birth of Jesus that inhabits the whole world. A favourite Christmas Hymn for many is O Come, All Ye Faithful . This hymn was composed by John Francis Wade, and the hymn invites the citizens of heaven and earth to greet this Newborn King:             “O Come All ye, faithful …” is a call to the Earth’s inhabitants. “Sing choirs of angels …” is a command to the heavenly beings.   The hymn’s message is that the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ is for all of creation. Colossians 1:15-16 describes this child in the manger in this way:  he is  “the Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16  For in him all things were cre

  DECEMBER 22, 2023   Luke 2:32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!   O Holy Night Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born!   While reflecting on the birth of Jesus we find much in the details that are messy, chaotic and disordered. I also find myself saying that the night Christ was born could also be considered one of the most perfect nights ever. Think about the accounts we read each Christmas Eve, the unifying factor is that God used difficult circumstances (travelling on a rough road with a very pregnant wife) and an uncomfortable location (not even a hotel room, but a barn with only a manger to sleep in) to bring His perfect and holy Son into the world. Yes, God could have easily made Jesus’ birth triumphant, but He chose not to. I find this overwhelming, do you? I mean the way God brought His son into the world reminds me of the way God works in my life, and you

  DECEMBER 21, 2023 Luke 2:1-5 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with Child. It is easy to overlook the small things. Caesar Augustus had no idea what was going on in tiny, conquered Judea. All he wanted was a tax registration; he ordered one, and that was the end of it. Augustus gave little thought to the impact of this registration, on the people of Judea. Among those people burdened by this tax registration was a couple from Nazareth. Mary was “with Child”, in the late stages of her pregnancy, not the most ideal condition to be traveling. Still, Mary and Joseph obeyed the or

    DECEMBER 20, 2023 Matthew 1:18b  When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit .   I wonder how much hurt and sorrow is found behind those simple words: "She was found to be with Child." Stop. Read those words again, “She was found to be with child.” Listen to the wording. These words imply that Mary did not have a chance to choose her time or place, to sit her family down and tell them about the angel's visit. No, "she was found to be with Child." Somebody noticed. What do you think it might have been like?  Mary was supposed to be a virgin. Her wedding was coming up. The family would be disgraced. I suspect that this was a painful place for Mary and Joseph. As I see it, perhaps it's a good thing that Jesus came into the world in such a thoroughly human, painful, and messy way. The backdrop to Jesus’ birth is one of shame, conflict, fighting, all these we

  DECEMBER 19, 2023 Matthew 1:24-25a When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.   But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. We are not given all the fine details, but I would think that life must have been an uncomfortable for Mary, in the days after she left Elizabeth. I mean Elizabeth knew that God was doing something amazing in her, and in Mary. Elizabeth must have been a tremendous comfort to Mary, before she went to live with Joseph. Put yourself in this teenager’s position, Who did she have to open her heart to? Was there anyone who believed her, a parent, a sister or brother, a friend? I feel that for a piece of her journey Mary must felt intensely alone. We don't know all this about Mary, of course. But we do know that God spoke to Joseph, and soon afterward, Mary had someone on her side again. Someone who believed her; someone who understood the b

  DECEMBER 18, 2023 Matthew 1:20-21 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." I have read this passage every year for as long as I can remember, but this year for some reason I noticed something that resulted in this question, “Why did the angel call Joseph "son of David"? Now the obvious answer to this question is that God had promised many years before that the Messiah (God’s anointed one) would come from David's family line. We know that’s important because Matthew opens his Gospel with a genealogy of the Davidic line. Ending with, “ Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,  and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. ” As a son of David, Joseph woul

  DECEMBER 15, 2023 Matthew 1:18b When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit. For many, there is a focus on Mary’s helplessness. Our text today seems to bear this out. It says she "had been betrothed" to Joseph, meaning that   somebody else did the marriage arrangement for her. Further our reading says she "was found to be with Child", which sounds like someone made an unexpected discovery. And finally, there is the phrase "before they came together", which only emphasizes how alone Mary must have been with what was happening to her body and indeed the impact of her situation on her life. But wait, she isn't really without help, is she? It seems to me that as awful as things seem to be, God is with her. Mary is carrying Jesus. The Holy Spirit is guiding her, granted she does not yet see the big picture, the how or where or when is still unanswered for her. I ad

  DECEMBER 14, 2023 Luke 1:67-68 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people."   It's a warm and appealing term, God has "visited" His people.   It's the same word you'd use for going to see a parent or a child or a relative you love,   a friend in the hospital. A phone call is just insufficient. You go there in person, to see them with your own eyes. And Zechariah puts it in the past tense, too! That makes sense, because at this point, Jesus has been in Mary's womb for three months. God has in fact already come into the world as a human being, to visit and redeem His people. He didn't send a text or write an email or a letter. He came Himself. John’s Gospel says that God “pitched his tent” among us, one translation says, “moved into the neighborhood.” That’s a comforting picture isn’t it? That is the kind of God we wo

  DECEMBER 13, 2023   Luke 1:46-49 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name."   I think most of us have been taught to be humble, after all the opposite of humility is pride. Proverbs 11:2 says “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” In the Bible, pride is described as an excessive love of one’s own excellence. It is in considering this teaching that many of us, have what I would call a false humility. Were you taught something like: Don't think about how great you are, ever? Let me ask you, do you find it hard to receive compliments? Look at what Mary says right here: "From now on all generations will call me blessed!" And of course, she's right. Mary is blessed, and the whole world

  DECEMBER 12, 2023 Luke 1:36-38 "And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.   I find it comforting to see how God puts us together with others in hard times. Thinks about it. Here is Mary, about to face the trial of her life, young, unmarried, and pregnant.  She has a fiancé to tell, parents to deal with, a village to face. What to do? What to do first? God knows. And so God has Gabriel tell her about Elizabeth her relative, who has also been blessed with a miracle pregnancy and could really use some help right about now! What a great idea, to go and visit her, right? God is kind. He sees Mary's needs before she sees them herself, and He provides for them, through Elizabeth. Sometimes jus

  DECEMBER 11, 2023 Luke 1:34-35 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God."   "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" Mary is not doubting like Zechariah. Mary is a practical, she needs to know: Does God want her to move up the wedding ceremony? What’s the plan here? Mary wonders. Does God have entirely different plans for her? As it turns out, God does indeed have different plans, He's going to handle the whole thing by miracle. As God promised long ago through the prophet Isaiah, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel" (7:14b). God is doing a new thing in the world, by inserting new, pure, divine, holy life into it. The baby will be both fully God and fully human, God from al

  DECEMBER 8, 2023   Luke 1:30-33 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His Name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."    Mary would have been familiar with this promise, odds are any Jewish girl would. A son to inherit the throne of David? To rule over Israel forever? This baby will be the Messiah. Two thousand years after God announced it to Abraham, God is keeping His promise at last.   While hesitant and bewildered initially, Mary becomes overjoyed! She will be a part of this great thing. This promise that will be fulfilled, is going to be very intimate. Mary’s body, for nine long months will experience God’s promise, profoundly culminating in the w

  December 7, 2023   Luke 1:23-25 23  When his time of service was completed, he returned home.   24  After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.   25  “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” I wonder what this homecoming was like?    I can visualize Elizabeth, coming to greet her husband, and getting the silent treatment.   Questioning him, touching him, worrying, has he had a stroke? Is he sick? Did someone hurt him? What is wrong? I have a hunch Elizabeth imagined the worst, before the wordless Zechariah was able to get the message across to her of Angels, and God’s promise, a miracle is about to happen. It must have been an interesting time telling the story to Elizabeth. Poor Old Zechariah, scribbling as fast as he could, Elizabeth desperately following the story. And then the joy! Oh, imagine the joy, knowing that God had heard her prayers