Good morning,
New Year's Eve is one of those few days in the year when just about everybody is thinking about the same thing. There's something dramatic about watching the old year slip away by counting the hours left in it, then the minutes, down to the seconds, when the old year has passed into history, never to come again.
We seldom think much about time except when we're running late or counting the days to a major event. Time is a lot like a river, carrying us all downstream. A lot of people have trouble with time management. That is, we often find it difficult to put first things first. Stephen Leacock once wrote, "How strange is our little procession called life! The child says, 'When I am big...' and then, grown up, he or she says, 'When I am married.' But then the thought turns to 'When I am able to retire.' Then when retirement comes, we look back over the landscape traversed. A cold wind blows over it. Somehow we have missed it all, and it is gone. Life, we learn too late, is in the living, in the tissue of every day and hour.'"
If there is anything we truly need in the New Year, it is to get closer to God, to grow in the love of our Savior, and to carry out His will for our lives. That will carry us through, no matter what the river of time may bring our way. Psalm 31 is almost entirely a prayer, but you can tell that it's not the kind of prayer that one prays out loud or one that is prayed with folded hands. No, it appears to be the kind of prayer Paul had in mind when he told us to PRAY CONSTANTLY. It's the kind of prayer that you pray while working or driving or when you're under a lot of stress, as David was here. He said:
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends-- those who see me on the street flee from me. But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, O LORD How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city. In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
There may be times in this coming year when you too will feel cut off from God's sight. You may wonder if God has forgotten you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you. The Psalm says: Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
When God's face is shining upon His people, that means that he is SMILING upon them. What more could you ask from the New Year than that? Think of the grim-faced idols that you see on totem poles and the frowns they present to those who worship these gods. We have a God who came here personally to smile upon us while He walked and talked with us. The Psalm says: How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. This is the God who is able to do so much more than we can ask or imagine. Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble, but don't be afraid, I have overcome the world."
Somebody described our frustrations with this life as coming from the fact that we, "have one foot in the finite and the other in the infinite." In other words, we live in two worlds, one bound by time with all of its limitations and the other eternal, unlimited, full of hope. He then went on to say that Jesus had the ability to relate the finite and the eternal. He is the Alpha and the Omega.
In Him,
Brown
"Life is half spent before we know what it is." George Herbert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZcKWd7Cs6A
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-29-09
December, 2009
Dear friends,
Another year is almost past, and with its waning we are called to ponder the many experiences which have been woven into the fabric of our lives this year. We have known many bright moments that are indelibly imprinted in our minds. There have also been many times that may at first seem dull or commonplace, difficult or impossible to recall, that are essentially the canvas of life. When we pause to look back over 2009, we get but a glimpse of a small part of our life’s tapestry. The small section formed over the course of this year includes bright red, yellow, and golden hues of celebration. It also contains dark threads of loss, grey threads of uncertainty or discouragement, blues that are identified with times of calmness and rest, and green threads representing life. Purples richly cascade in and out among all of the others, declaring preparation for the presence of Christ's royalty among us. Between it all run the warp and woof of music, laughter, whispered secrets, and happy plans.
Throughout the course of this year we have sensed with increased urgency the need to celebrate life. Every time our empty nest at the Parsonage is about to be filled with one or more of our dear daughters, or their families, we have sensed the vital importance of preparation. We vacuum, mop, dust, scrub bathrooms, bake, cook, attend to special projects, and stock the larder so that we may fully enjoy our times together. The arrival of family members brings with them a sense of celebration. We talk, laugh, sing, reminisce, and eat. (Of course we eat – every Naik celebration includes a feast!) Life, even in its smaller moments, is worth celebrating. This year has been especially worthy of celebrating in so many ways.
Just prior to her birthday, Jessica became engaged to Thomas Ross, who is already becoming a son to us. Jessy and Tom have been industriously making plans for their February, 2010 wedding (details, details). Most recently, with the help of Tom’s parents, they have been looking for their first home. The Lord has arranged so many details, and it looks as if their home will be ready for closing before their wedding day. We have enjoyed having Jessy and Tom home for many weekends over the course of the year. I also managed to get down to Philadelphia to spend a couple of weekends with them over the course of the Spring and Summer. (On the first weekend they gave me a great introduction to Philly, taking me to the Shad Festival, out for gelato, and then to dinner at a creperie). Jess and Tom are actively involved in the Vineyard Church in Philadelphia. We are so blessed that the Lord has drawn Jessy and Tom together, and our memories are golden and brilliant.
Laureen has been living in the Binghamton area this year, and we have been blessed by her presence. She spent many months working at Lourdes Hospital on the Labor and Delivery floor, applying her special skills to caring for newborns and their moms, and attending Caesarian deliveries to help with high risk births. In September she left her job to go on a short term musical mission with the Fall Tour of the Continentals. After extensive travel across the US and Canada, including a harrowing drive through snowy mountain passes in Colorado and New Mexico, she spent 3 weeks ministering in Thailand. We missed her greatly, prayed for her regularly, and welcomed her heartily upon her return on November 23. Though jet lag overwhelmed her for many days, she is happily and energetically preparing for Christmas. She even took Micah back to Boston after Thanksgiving (she’s a wonderful auntie). Laureen has added memories that are red with excitement, blue with calm resolve, green with new direction. At the end of this month she is planning to attend Urbana 2009 in St. Louis, MO.
Sunita and Andy have had a super-busy, fulfilling year. This year, after much thought and even more prayer, they undertook the purchase of a house in Northeastern Washington, DC. Their beloved “money pit” is a gracious and beautiful home for them, and a welcoming “guest house” for the many people whom they have welcomed there. They have been thoughtfully, carefully, choosing colors that reflect themselves, warm golden hues and soothing greens. We have made several trips to DC this year, usually accompanied by small children and various pieces of furniture. Bernard, Elisha, and Susannah have twice bee our passengers, squeezed in among the odd pieces that were destined for the DC home. Shelley, Sharon, and Hosannah also have gone there with us, and were lucky enough to go to the National Zoo on a 72 degree day when the orangutans were out on their overhead highway, the anteaters made an extended appearance, and the other animals were happy to be outside. Sunita and Andy love the Lord, and serve him in many ways, including a prayer ministry that they have trained for. Sunita still travels from time to time, and has been to Bangladesh, India, and Israel recently. Sunita and Andy continue to be actively involved in St. Brendan’s Anglican Church. Sunita and some of her friends from Washington will be going on a short-term mission trip to Orissa in March, Lord willing, to visit the persecuted Church there and encourage believers.
Janice and Jeremy are still living in their little house in the big city (or, at least, it is big for us). Micah and Simeon are growing so quickly that we can barely keep up. Micah recently turned four, and Simeon turned two in the Summer. Micah has long been a master of words and thoughts, and Simeon, who should be trying out soon to replace Andy Pettit, is now building a nice vocabulary. Janice and Jeremy love to take the kids to their favorite retreat in North Conway, New Hampshire. There they ride the train, hike the mountains, enjoy favorite restaurants, and take in the stunning scenery. Jeremy continues to work for a downtown firm in Boston, sharpening his legal skills, while Janice works only part time for Healthcare for the Homeless. This year she designed a web site and opened a children’s photography business, specializing in capturing “a child’s nature”. Her artistic photography has been featured in a local boutique, and Janice is loving her new avocation. Janice, Micah, and Simeon will all have leading roles in Jessy’s upcoming wedding ceremony, and Micah cannot wait to wear her princess dress. (Simeon couldn’t care less right now but, as ring-bearer, he should provide some interesting entertainment on that day). Life is a daily adventure with Janice and her family, and she loves it. Janice and Jeremy are involved in First Presbyterian Church in Ipswich, MA.
As for us, we are blessed to be serving in our twentieth year in Union Center, preparing to celebrate our twentieth Christmas here. The parsonage is aglow with lights and sparkle, and festive with many trees, “houses”, and other seasonal décor. Our hearts are aglow with the love and joy of our Savior, the sweet times of communion with our family, and our many friends throughout the world and in our neighborhood. We sometimes cannot believe that the Lord has allowed us to remain in one place for so long. When Brown and I were children, we each spent our entire lifetime living in one house. For me, that meant that I was 22 when I left “home”, and now we have been at home in Union Center for almost that long. What a blessing that is! Every familiar nook and cranny remind us of the sweet times we have enjoyed in this dear home.
At Thanksgiving this year we were blessed to have all of our family home for all or part of Thanksgiving break. We joyfully celebrated the season, with playing, laughter, long chats, and lots of hugs all around. We had an early Christmas celebration with Janice, Jeremy, Micah, and Simeon, and were touched and renewed by the excitement of the children. “Christmas was made for children”, or so they say. It is a rosy, lively, vibrant time, sparkling with anticipation and sprinkled liberally with laughter. It was a worthy celebration! On Thanksgiving Day itself, we gathered with some friends at the Church, where we prepared a served a mighty 3-turkey feast (with the help of friends). All were welcome who needed a family to share with on that day.
Brown has entered his twentieth year of ministry in Union Center with vigor. Though he had some health concerns this summer, the Lord has given grace to overcome. The Lord has granted His grace to continue the ministry of preaching, teaching, writing, visitation, hospitality, and television outreach. He loves to entertain friends around the table so we often invite friends into our home. He is excited about this Holy Season of Advent and Christmas, and about sharing the Good News, as we experience it afresh and anew in our own hearts.
I continue to have a quietly lively, busy, fulfilling life. Teaching Geometry at Marathon basically keeps me out of trouble during the school year, but I try to keep some time on weekends for household maintenance, shopping, sewing, “connecting” on Facebook, and participating in life within the church family. Occasionally I have been blessed to preach (just a two or three times a year), and I am always amazed and overwhelmed by how much more I learn about the Word on those occasions. Also, in case you haven’t guessed it yet, I simply love this time of year. I find the preparations for the celebration of Christmas to be energizing, uplifting, exciting, and fulfilling.
Preparation always precedes celebration, and in order to full enjoy the celebration we must be ready in every aspect. We must especially prepare our hearts and minds, reminding ourselves that Christ came to us in human form so that we might establish a father-child relationship with God Almighty. Just now, as we enter the season of Advent, it is a time of preparation for the season of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord. At home, we clean out some of the clutter from our main rooms, and then dig through lonely closets to find the lovingly stored boxes of bright decorations that will fill all of the spaces that were just cleaned. These are but a symbol of the joy that we feel because the Christ of Christmas came to sweep the dirt of sin and clutter of preoccupation with the world’s affairs from our lives, only to fill the dark and lonely places with His light, His joy, His peace, and His fellowship. CELEBRATE!
G. K. Chesterton wrote, “For men are homesick in their homes, and strangers under the sun, and they lay their heads in a foreign land whenever the day is done.” “To an open house in the evening home shall men come, to an older place than Eden and a taller town than Rome, to the place where God was homeless and all men are at home.” Praise the Lord for the way He has given us a new family in Jesus Christ, “for as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” Praise the Lord for each of you, around the corner and around the world.
In Christ, our Savior and Lord,
Brown and Alice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5M0cy6yEaU
Dear friends,
Another year is almost past, and with its waning we are called to ponder the many experiences which have been woven into the fabric of our lives this year. We have known many bright moments that are indelibly imprinted in our minds. There have also been many times that may at first seem dull or commonplace, difficult or impossible to recall, that are essentially the canvas of life. When we pause to look back over 2009, we get but a glimpse of a small part of our life’s tapestry. The small section formed over the course of this year includes bright red, yellow, and golden hues of celebration. It also contains dark threads of loss, grey threads of uncertainty or discouragement, blues that are identified with times of calmness and rest, and green threads representing life. Purples richly cascade in and out among all of the others, declaring preparation for the presence of Christ's royalty among us. Between it all run the warp and woof of music, laughter, whispered secrets, and happy plans.
Throughout the course of this year we have sensed with increased urgency the need to celebrate life. Every time our empty nest at the Parsonage is about to be filled with one or more of our dear daughters, or their families, we have sensed the vital importance of preparation. We vacuum, mop, dust, scrub bathrooms, bake, cook, attend to special projects, and stock the larder so that we may fully enjoy our times together. The arrival of family members brings with them a sense of celebration. We talk, laugh, sing, reminisce, and eat. (Of course we eat – every Naik celebration includes a feast!) Life, even in its smaller moments, is worth celebrating. This year has been especially worthy of celebrating in so many ways.
Just prior to her birthday, Jessica became engaged to Thomas Ross, who is already becoming a son to us. Jessy and Tom have been industriously making plans for their February, 2010 wedding (details, details). Most recently, with the help of Tom’s parents, they have been looking for their first home. The Lord has arranged so many details, and it looks as if their home will be ready for closing before their wedding day. We have enjoyed having Jessy and Tom home for many weekends over the course of the year. I also managed to get down to Philadelphia to spend a couple of weekends with them over the course of the Spring and Summer. (On the first weekend they gave me a great introduction to Philly, taking me to the Shad Festival, out for gelato, and then to dinner at a creperie). Jess and Tom are actively involved in the Vineyard Church in Philadelphia. We are so blessed that the Lord has drawn Jessy and Tom together, and our memories are golden and brilliant.
Laureen has been living in the Binghamton area this year, and we have been blessed by her presence. She spent many months working at Lourdes Hospital on the Labor and Delivery floor, applying her special skills to caring for newborns and their moms, and attending Caesarian deliveries to help with high risk births. In September she left her job to go on a short term musical mission with the Fall Tour of the Continentals. After extensive travel across the US and Canada, including a harrowing drive through snowy mountain passes in Colorado and New Mexico, she spent 3 weeks ministering in Thailand. We missed her greatly, prayed for her regularly, and welcomed her heartily upon her return on November 23. Though jet lag overwhelmed her for many days, she is happily and energetically preparing for Christmas. She even took Micah back to Boston after Thanksgiving (she’s a wonderful auntie). Laureen has added memories that are red with excitement, blue with calm resolve, green with new direction. At the end of this month she is planning to attend Urbana 2009 in St. Louis, MO.
Sunita and Andy have had a super-busy, fulfilling year. This year, after much thought and even more prayer, they undertook the purchase of a house in Northeastern Washington, DC. Their beloved “money pit” is a gracious and beautiful home for them, and a welcoming “guest house” for the many people whom they have welcomed there. They have been thoughtfully, carefully, choosing colors that reflect themselves, warm golden hues and soothing greens. We have made several trips to DC this year, usually accompanied by small children and various pieces of furniture. Bernard, Elisha, and Susannah have twice bee our passengers, squeezed in among the odd pieces that were destined for the DC home. Shelley, Sharon, and Hosannah also have gone there with us, and were lucky enough to go to the National Zoo on a 72 degree day when the orangutans were out on their overhead highway, the anteaters made an extended appearance, and the other animals were happy to be outside. Sunita and Andy love the Lord, and serve him in many ways, including a prayer ministry that they have trained for. Sunita still travels from time to time, and has been to Bangladesh, India, and Israel recently. Sunita and Andy continue to be actively involved in St. Brendan’s Anglican Church. Sunita and some of her friends from Washington will be going on a short-term mission trip to Orissa in March, Lord willing, to visit the persecuted Church there and encourage believers.
Janice and Jeremy are still living in their little house in the big city (or, at least, it is big for us). Micah and Simeon are growing so quickly that we can barely keep up. Micah recently turned four, and Simeon turned two in the Summer. Micah has long been a master of words and thoughts, and Simeon, who should be trying out soon to replace Andy Pettit, is now building a nice vocabulary. Janice and Jeremy love to take the kids to their favorite retreat in North Conway, New Hampshire. There they ride the train, hike the mountains, enjoy favorite restaurants, and take in the stunning scenery. Jeremy continues to work for a downtown firm in Boston, sharpening his legal skills, while Janice works only part time for Healthcare for the Homeless. This year she designed a web site and opened a children’s photography business, specializing in capturing “a child’s nature”. Her artistic photography has been featured in a local boutique, and Janice is loving her new avocation. Janice, Micah, and Simeon will all have leading roles in Jessy’s upcoming wedding ceremony, and Micah cannot wait to wear her princess dress. (Simeon couldn’t care less right now but, as ring-bearer, he should provide some interesting entertainment on that day). Life is a daily adventure with Janice and her family, and she loves it. Janice and Jeremy are involved in First Presbyterian Church in Ipswich, MA.
As for us, we are blessed to be serving in our twentieth year in Union Center, preparing to celebrate our twentieth Christmas here. The parsonage is aglow with lights and sparkle, and festive with many trees, “houses”, and other seasonal décor. Our hearts are aglow with the love and joy of our Savior, the sweet times of communion with our family, and our many friends throughout the world and in our neighborhood. We sometimes cannot believe that the Lord has allowed us to remain in one place for so long. When Brown and I were children, we each spent our entire lifetime living in one house. For me, that meant that I was 22 when I left “home”, and now we have been at home in Union Center for almost that long. What a blessing that is! Every familiar nook and cranny remind us of the sweet times we have enjoyed in this dear home.
At Thanksgiving this year we were blessed to have all of our family home for all or part of Thanksgiving break. We joyfully celebrated the season, with playing, laughter, long chats, and lots of hugs all around. We had an early Christmas celebration with Janice, Jeremy, Micah, and Simeon, and were touched and renewed by the excitement of the children. “Christmas was made for children”, or so they say. It is a rosy, lively, vibrant time, sparkling with anticipation and sprinkled liberally with laughter. It was a worthy celebration! On Thanksgiving Day itself, we gathered with some friends at the Church, where we prepared a served a mighty 3-turkey feast (with the help of friends). All were welcome who needed a family to share with on that day.
Brown has entered his twentieth year of ministry in Union Center with vigor. Though he had some health concerns this summer, the Lord has given grace to overcome. The Lord has granted His grace to continue the ministry of preaching, teaching, writing, visitation, hospitality, and television outreach. He loves to entertain friends around the table so we often invite friends into our home. He is excited about this Holy Season of Advent and Christmas, and about sharing the Good News, as we experience it afresh and anew in our own hearts.
I continue to have a quietly lively, busy, fulfilling life. Teaching Geometry at Marathon basically keeps me out of trouble during the school year, but I try to keep some time on weekends for household maintenance, shopping, sewing, “connecting” on Facebook, and participating in life within the church family. Occasionally I have been blessed to preach (just a two or three times a year), and I am always amazed and overwhelmed by how much more I learn about the Word on those occasions. Also, in case you haven’t guessed it yet, I simply love this time of year. I find the preparations for the celebration of Christmas to be energizing, uplifting, exciting, and fulfilling.
Preparation always precedes celebration, and in order to full enjoy the celebration we must be ready in every aspect. We must especially prepare our hearts and minds, reminding ourselves that Christ came to us in human form so that we might establish a father-child relationship with God Almighty. Just now, as we enter the season of Advent, it is a time of preparation for the season of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord. At home, we clean out some of the clutter from our main rooms, and then dig through lonely closets to find the lovingly stored boxes of bright decorations that will fill all of the spaces that were just cleaned. These are but a symbol of the joy that we feel because the Christ of Christmas came to sweep the dirt of sin and clutter of preoccupation with the world’s affairs from our lives, only to fill the dark and lonely places with His light, His joy, His peace, and His fellowship. CELEBRATE!
G. K. Chesterton wrote, “For men are homesick in their homes, and strangers under the sun, and they lay their heads in a foreign land whenever the day is done.” “To an open house in the evening home shall men come, to an older place than Eden and a taller town than Rome, to the place where God was homeless and all men are at home.” Praise the Lord for the way He has given us a new family in Jesus Christ, “for as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” Praise the Lord for each of you, around the corner and around the world.
In Christ, our Savior and Lord,
Brown and Alice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5M0cy6yEaU
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas 12-25-09
Merry Christmas. Rejoice and be glad, for the Savior of the world is born. The Lord blessed us with wonderful and glorious Christmas Eve services. I preached from Luke 2. The Lord of Heaven and Earth came down to earth, where the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. Sunita and Andy are at home with us, along with Laureen. It is a wonderful blessing to be together. Jessy and Tom are planning to come home this afternoon. Janice and Jeremy, Micah, and Simeon are in Boston, enjoying Christmas on their own for the first time. We have just enough snow on the ground to make my wife happy. Parts of the country are experiencing blizzard conditions - but not in the places you would expect.
Our first Christmas call of the morning was from "down under" in Sydney, Australia, from my nephew. It is summertime there now. We have heard from family and friends from around the globe, and praise the Lord for you. It is a great thrill to know the Savior, and to share His blessings with those who love Him around the world. What a way to live and what a way to celebrate. Praise the Lord for the way His love fills the globe.
I read the following Christmas song which came from "down under":
"Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.
Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas
snow is not falling and trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.
Sign of the gold and the green and the sparkle,
water and river and lure of the beach.
Sing in the happiness of open spaces,
sing a nativity summer can reach!
Shepherds and musterers move over hillsides,
finding, not angels, but sheep to be shorn;
wise ones make journeys whatever the season,
searching for signs of the truth to be born.
Right side up Christmas belongs to the universe,
made in the moment a woman give birth;
hope is the Jesus gift, love is the offering,
everywhere, anywhere here on the earth."
At the time of Jesus' birth in 4 B.C. the Roman Empire was filled with discouraged, dispirited, and confused people. This confusion, despair, and discouragement was the end product of many years of warfare and destruction and turmoil. The conquered peoples did not know who or what to believe in anymore. Back then each nation had its own gods on whom it depended. When a nation lost a war, that meant their gods had either forsaken them or were not powerful anymore. The Roman Empire was filled with conquered people, so these people had no gods left. Without the gods, on whom would they depend, to whom could they look? No wonder these people were discouraged, dispirited, and confused.
Augustus, who was a very ambitious man, planned to change all this. He decided to provide the security these despairing people needed after the loss of their gods. He would give them a new way of life, a new world order. He would give them the order, peace, and justice of Rome. Augustus asked the conquered peoples to forget about their gods – who had not been able to help them anyway – and to depend on the new Roman order, that way of life of which he, Caesar Augustus, was the symbol. Worship Augustus, hail Caesar, and he will provide peace and prosperity! Augustus proposed a new world-wide religion, the worship of the Caesars of Rome.
To achieve this, to bring all the world to his feet in worship, Caesar ordered a census to be taken of all the people and nations under his rule. This was the first step in establishing the new world order. This was the first step in getting all people to worship Caesar.
Augustus proclaimed himself as the savior of the world's discouraged, dispirited, and confused people. He was going to save the world by his brilliant politics, his careful administration, his powerful military, his excellent economics, and by the beauty and magnificence of Roman culture.
People today still practice the religion of Caesar Augustus. People today still believe in the greatness of man. Man continues to look to himself, his abilities, his discoveries, for his own salvation, but man can't save himself. No Caesar, no political freedoms, can spell an end to despair and bring the beginning of hope.
For hope and salvation, we are invited to a "a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger". He comes with Good News that results in salvation: "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you". This Savior's name is not Caesar Augustus; rather, "he is Christ the Lord". Caesar, as savior, is worth nothing. His plan of salvation comes to nothing. But Christ as Savior is beyond worth. His plan of salvation works and results in redemption. The anthem that echoes forth with this Savior, the refrain that is heard, does not praise man; rather, it praises God. In the heavens, there was a multitude of angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest".
That's the big difference between the two saviors and the two salvations: one brings praise to God, the other brings praise to man. No wonder the salvation of Caesar fails whereas the salvation of Christ succeeds.
Christmas is a story not only of two Saviors but also of two kings. The name of the one is "Caesar Augustus." That is not his real name, of course. It is a title that he took for himself. It means "The Exalted One." Caesar was one of the great men of the world. He commanded the thousands of the Roman legions; his was an empire that stretches to the far corners of the earth. His was power and might. Augustus commanded and the whole world set out on the road to be enrolled. People heeded his every command and followed his every wish. His birthday was a holiday for the entire Empire.
On the other side was a little child born in the city of David, called "Christ the Lord." Over 2000 years have passed since the days of Caesar. Where is Caesar today? He is gone, His empire is gone, His legions are gone. But we can't say that about King Jesus, can we? Christ is still here.
What a turn-around: Christ's birthday, not Caesar's, is a time of celebration. Christ's Kingdom, not Caesar's, is growing day-by-day. Christ's rule, not Caesar's, is still in effect. Caesar is gone. His kingdom is gone. Christ still rules. The Lord of the Heaven and Earth, the New Born King, calling us to make a choice between the two saviors and two kings of Christmas. Who is our savior: Caesar or Jesus, man or God? Who is our King: Caesar or Jesus, man or God? We have to make a choice between "Glory to man" and "Glory to God."
All is well, our Savior is Born.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrCYzaWUU0
Our first Christmas call of the morning was from "down under" in Sydney, Australia, from my nephew. It is summertime there now. We have heard from family and friends from around the globe, and praise the Lord for you. It is a great thrill to know the Savior, and to share His blessings with those who love Him around the world. What a way to live and what a way to celebrate. Praise the Lord for the way His love fills the globe.
I read the following Christmas song which came from "down under":
"Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.
Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas
snow is not falling and trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.
Sign of the gold and the green and the sparkle,
water and river and lure of the beach.
Sing in the happiness of open spaces,
sing a nativity summer can reach!
Shepherds and musterers move over hillsides,
finding, not angels, but sheep to be shorn;
wise ones make journeys whatever the season,
searching for signs of the truth to be born.
Right side up Christmas belongs to the universe,
made in the moment a woman give birth;
hope is the Jesus gift, love is the offering,
everywhere, anywhere here on the earth."
At the time of Jesus' birth in 4 B.C. the Roman Empire was filled with discouraged, dispirited, and confused people. This confusion, despair, and discouragement was the end product of many years of warfare and destruction and turmoil. The conquered peoples did not know who or what to believe in anymore. Back then each nation had its own gods on whom it depended. When a nation lost a war, that meant their gods had either forsaken them or were not powerful anymore. The Roman Empire was filled with conquered people, so these people had no gods left. Without the gods, on whom would they depend, to whom could they look? No wonder these people were discouraged, dispirited, and confused.
Augustus, who was a very ambitious man, planned to change all this. He decided to provide the security these despairing people needed after the loss of their gods. He would give them a new way of life, a new world order. He would give them the order, peace, and justice of Rome. Augustus asked the conquered peoples to forget about their gods – who had not been able to help them anyway – and to depend on the new Roman order, that way of life of which he, Caesar Augustus, was the symbol. Worship Augustus, hail Caesar, and he will provide peace and prosperity! Augustus proposed a new world-wide religion, the worship of the Caesars of Rome.
To achieve this, to bring all the world to his feet in worship, Caesar ordered a census to be taken of all the people and nations under his rule. This was the first step in establishing the new world order. This was the first step in getting all people to worship Caesar.
Augustus proclaimed himself as the savior of the world's discouraged, dispirited, and confused people. He was going to save the world by his brilliant politics, his careful administration, his powerful military, his excellent economics, and by the beauty and magnificence of Roman culture.
People today still practice the religion of Caesar Augustus. People today still believe in the greatness of man. Man continues to look to himself, his abilities, his discoveries, for his own salvation, but man can't save himself. No Caesar, no political freedoms, can spell an end to despair and bring the beginning of hope.
For hope and salvation, we are invited to a "a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger". He comes with Good News that results in salvation: "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you". This Savior's name is not Caesar Augustus; rather, "he is Christ the Lord". Caesar, as savior, is worth nothing. His plan of salvation comes to nothing. But Christ as Savior is beyond worth. His plan of salvation works and results in redemption. The anthem that echoes forth with this Savior, the refrain that is heard, does not praise man; rather, it praises God. In the heavens, there was a multitude of angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest".
That's the big difference between the two saviors and the two salvations: one brings praise to God, the other brings praise to man. No wonder the salvation of Caesar fails whereas the salvation of Christ succeeds.
Christmas is a story not only of two Saviors but also of two kings. The name of the one is "Caesar Augustus." That is not his real name, of course. It is a title that he took for himself. It means "The Exalted One." Caesar was one of the great men of the world. He commanded the thousands of the Roman legions; his was an empire that stretches to the far corners of the earth. His was power and might. Augustus commanded and the whole world set out on the road to be enrolled. People heeded his every command and followed his every wish. His birthday was a holiday for the entire Empire.
On the other side was a little child born in the city of David, called "Christ the Lord." Over 2000 years have passed since the days of Caesar. Where is Caesar today? He is gone, His empire is gone, His legions are gone. But we can't say that about King Jesus, can we? Christ is still here.
What a turn-around: Christ's birthday, not Caesar's, is a time of celebration. Christ's Kingdom, not Caesar's, is growing day-by-day. Christ's rule, not Caesar's, is still in effect. Caesar is gone. His kingdom is gone. Christ still rules. The Lord of the Heaven and Earth, the New Born King, calling us to make a choice between the two saviors and two kings of Christmas. Who is our savior: Caesar or Jesus, man or God? Who is our King: Caesar or Jesus, man or God? We have to make a choice between "Glory to man" and "Glory to God."
All is well, our Savior is Born.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQrCYzaWUU0
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-24-09
Praise the Lord for Christmas eve. We had a grand time last night sharing a special Christmas banquet. Praise the Lord for this season of celebration. Praise the Lord for the way we can come from the malls to the manger of Bethlehem. We once again think about how the Lord of majesty came down to dwell among the ordinary and the mundane. Praise the Lord for the way the Lord announced the Birth of the Savior of the world , by the angels as He did announce the Resurrection of the Savior from the dead by the angels. I don't know what the angels look like. Scripture does not describe them very carefully. The best description we have of the appearance of angels says that they are like young men dressed in white garments. Those were the angels that appeared at the resurrection. Never once are they referred to as having wings. I don't know where that idea came from, unless it came from the concept that angels are free to move about rapidly, and to us that suggests flying.
But the angel suddenly appeared out of the darkness of the night. Around him shone the radiance of glory -- a nimbus -- as the glory of the Lord shone round about the shepherds. And as the Authorized Version puts it, "they were sore afraid." Luke 2:10:
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." {Luke 2:10-11 NIV}
Thus the birth of God's long-awaited redeemer was introduced to a darkened, weary, and exhausted world. History tells us that the time of our Lord's birth was indeed a time of weariness and widespread despair among men and among the nations of the earth. The civilizations of that day had all played themselves out. This is how Matthew Arnold describes the world into which the Lord came:
On that hard, pagan world, disgust and secret loathing fell.
Deep weariness and sated lust made human life a hell.
It is striking that the human emotion that was first encountered by the angelic messenger was that of fear. Men were afraid in that day. They were afraid of many things, as they are today. There was Herod the Great on the throne. Herod was cruel, and was able to accomplish his wrath upon whoever was the object of his disfavor. He had personally put to death many, even in his own family, because of their antagonism to his plans. Also there were the Romans, too, with their proud legions, marching up and down across the face of the earth, holding everything in a severe and iron bondage. Many wars broke out and the economy was uncertain. The people were afraid.
Perhaps the most striking thing to us about this story is that we can so easily put ourselves back into that situation of fear, for by far the dominant mood of the hour today is that of fear.
Yet the first word of the angel to those shepherds in the field was "Fear not. Be not afraid." I do not think any greater news can come to us than that announcement. It came to them, as the angel went on to say, because a Savior was born in Bethlehem -- a Deliverer. Because of the presence of a Deliverer, they need not be afraid of anything.
You and I know how frequently we draw the parallel between the coming of Jesus as a babe in Bethlehem and the coming of Jesus into the human heart. Even our carols do this. The third verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" says,
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
Every Christmas season we remind each other that it is not enough for Christ to have been born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. What really counts is Christ being born in the human heart. Your Bethlehem is when Christ came to you and was born in your heart. It is that remarkable parallel that constitutes the good news of Christianity today -- that Jesus can be born in us as certainly as he was born in Bethlehem. Therefore, to us, the angel stands to make his welcome announcement: "Fear not. Fear not, for unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
We studied the Book " The Purpose of Christmas", by Rick Warren during our Wednesday Midweek services. We learned that the words "Fear not" appear in the Bible exactly 365 times. Did you ever wonder why? The reason, of course, is that a Savior has been presented -- a Deliverer, a rescuer, one who is adequate to free us from any threat and danger in any situation. That is why the shepherds were told not to be afraid. It did not make any difference what Herod or the Romans would do, or what the clever, manipulative minds of men would try to set in motion; there was a Deliverer, a Savior among them. A Redeemer had come who would change the situation and use it for his own glory and bring them through. Therefore the announcement of the angel was "Be not afraid."
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAyplzXmjVE
But the angel suddenly appeared out of the darkness of the night. Around him shone the radiance of glory -- a nimbus -- as the glory of the Lord shone round about the shepherds. And as the Authorized Version puts it, "they were sore afraid." Luke 2:10:
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." {Luke 2:10-11 NIV}
Thus the birth of God's long-awaited redeemer was introduced to a darkened, weary, and exhausted world. History tells us that the time of our Lord's birth was indeed a time of weariness and widespread despair among men and among the nations of the earth. The civilizations of that day had all played themselves out. This is how Matthew Arnold describes the world into which the Lord came:
On that hard, pagan world, disgust and secret loathing fell.
Deep weariness and sated lust made human life a hell.
It is striking that the human emotion that was first encountered by the angelic messenger was that of fear. Men were afraid in that day. They were afraid of many things, as they are today. There was Herod the Great on the throne. Herod was cruel, and was able to accomplish his wrath upon whoever was the object of his disfavor. He had personally put to death many, even in his own family, because of their antagonism to his plans. Also there were the Romans, too, with their proud legions, marching up and down across the face of the earth, holding everything in a severe and iron bondage. Many wars broke out and the economy was uncertain. The people were afraid.
Perhaps the most striking thing to us about this story is that we can so easily put ourselves back into that situation of fear, for by far the dominant mood of the hour today is that of fear.
Yet the first word of the angel to those shepherds in the field was "Fear not. Be not afraid." I do not think any greater news can come to us than that announcement. It came to them, as the angel went on to say, because a Savior was born in Bethlehem -- a Deliverer. Because of the presence of a Deliverer, they need not be afraid of anything.
You and I know how frequently we draw the parallel between the coming of Jesus as a babe in Bethlehem and the coming of Jesus into the human heart. Even our carols do this. The third verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" says,
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
Every Christmas season we remind each other that it is not enough for Christ to have been born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. What really counts is Christ being born in the human heart. Your Bethlehem is when Christ came to you and was born in your heart. It is that remarkable parallel that constitutes the good news of Christianity today -- that Jesus can be born in us as certainly as he was born in Bethlehem. Therefore, to us, the angel stands to make his welcome announcement: "Fear not. Fear not, for unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
We studied the Book " The Purpose of Christmas", by Rick Warren during our Wednesday Midweek services. We learned that the words "Fear not" appear in the Bible exactly 365 times. Did you ever wonder why? The reason, of course, is that a Savior has been presented -- a Deliverer, a rescuer, one who is adequate to free us from any threat and danger in any situation. That is why the shepherds were told not to be afraid. It did not make any difference what Herod or the Romans would do, or what the clever, manipulative minds of men would try to set in motion; there was a Deliverer, a Savior among them. A Redeemer had come who would change the situation and use it for his own glory and bring them through. Therefore the announcement of the angel was "Be not afraid."
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAyplzXmjVE
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-23-09 2
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. It was on this day, December 23, 1973, that my father died at an early age of 48. We (my mom, my brothers, my sisters, and myself) all go through moments of grief on this very date every year. Praise the Lord for the "sure and certain hope" the Lord has given us.
Sunita and Andy drove from Washington, DC last night and they arrived at home early this morning. Jessica and Tom will be coming home on Christmas day. Janice and her family are staying in Boston to celebrate Christmas at home - Boston style - this year.
We will meet for a special celebration this evening at 6 PM for a Christmas banquet followed by singing of carols and rejoicing. We will meet for two Christmas Eve services tomorrow evening, one at 7:00 PM and the other at 10:30 PM.
Alice has once again transformed the parsonage in to a Christmas house with 35 Christmas trees large and small, (and some that are very tiny). Praise the Lord for the Birth of our Savior and Lord. Christmas time is a time of hope, a time of joy, and a time of reconciliation. I am reflecting on Christmas in light of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". There is an echo of Christmas past that echoes down through the pages of history, whose timeless message haunts our every Christmas present. If we were to travel back further than the history of our own Christmas past, if we were to travel back further than the history of Scrooge’s Christmas past, if we were to travel back and re-visit that very first Christmas... 2000 years ago, if we were to gaze upon that first nativity scene – the Christ Child born in Bethlehem and lying in a manger, then all of our Christmas fears and disappointments would be dispelled and we would be filled with hope.
For on the night that Jesus was born, an angel appeared to shepherds and declared to them the good news that a Savior had been born. This good news was for “all people”. It was meant for young and for old, for rich and for poor, for Jews and the Gentiles, for you and for me. Christ had come, God in the flesh, to save us all. His birth wipes our past clean. All of our pain, all of our sorrows, all of our rejection, all of our broken relationships, all of our hurts are wrapped up in His love for us. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever might believe in him would not perish but receive eternal life’. That’s the hope and the promise of Christmas past. That is the hope and the promise of the God of second chances.
What becomes very obvious in reading "A Christmas Carol" is that Scrooge is a product of his history, of his Christmas’ gone by. Thus, the second spirit to visit him is the ghost of Christmas present. This spirit comes to gave him an opportunity to see what his life is truly like in the here and the now. He is shown the home of his employee, Bob Cratchit where, despite their poverty, it is filled with joy, compassion, and love for one another. There, as they sit down to their feeble Christmas dinner, Bob Cratchit still takes the time to share a toast to his greedy, selfish, miserly boss (the one who keeps him in abject poverty).
He is also shown the home of his nephew, the only person alive who has any affection for Scrooge whatsoever, even though that affection is totally unwarranted. Year after year this nephew had invited Scrooge to come and share in the joy and merriment of Christmas with him and his wife, and year after year Scrooge had rejected his invitation, but still the nephew invites.
The ghost of Christmas present shows Scrooge exactly what he has become. He reveals to him the hardness and callousness of his heart, as shown in his dismissal of the poverty and the needs of those around him. He shows total disregard and disdain for humanity itself.
Though he tried to justify his actions by the money that he had earned and how successful he was, in the things that counted he was nothing and he had nothing. The ghost of Christmas present shows him that even though he is utterly hard-hearted, bitter, and twisted, and though he may well seem beyond the point of redemption, despite all that the spirit shows him that others still love him and have not given up on him.
This is the promise of Christmas present. Every Christmas we are reminded that, no matter how bad we are, no matter how selfish we are, no matter how greedy we are, no matter how rebellious we are, no matter how much we reject him… God loves us and never gives up on us. Christmas is a time of love, joy, peace, and goodwill to all men. Scrooge was so self-centered, embittered, and materialistically motivated that he had lost sight of that completely. Before we become too critical of Scrooge, we need to remember that every one of us is capable of falling into the same trap, neglecting that which is truly important in life, and seeing money and the things it can buy as the answer to our problems. If we’re not careful the spirit of Scrooge can highjack every Christmas; turning our pilgrimage of faith into a pilgrimage to the shops.
Christmas is exactly what it says it is – a holy celebration of the Christ. However, for many people Christmas stopped being about Christ a long time ago. It has come to be about self- indulgence, extravagance, materialism, and money. And yet the story of Christmas is the very opposite. The story of Christmas is about the one who left all riches and all glory, gave them up, and came to be born in a stable, laid in a manger, and wrapped in swaddling clothes. That child was the one who came, not to be served but to serve. That’s the certainty of Christmas present.
At the heart of "A Christmas Carol" lies Scrooge’s transformation. Through his encounters with Christmas past, present, and future Scrooge was changed from a selfish, greedy, and bitter old man, into a grateful, generous, and compassionate figure. On that Christmas Eve he is confronted by the reality of who he is and where he is headed and he responds by changing his ways, he repents and changes his destiny.
Jesus, the Son of God, invites us to do the same. What better time than Christmas to receive his forgiveness, to renew our faith, and to rebuild our friendships? There’s a Scrooge in all of us that needs to be repented. The good news of Christmas is that we can learn from the past, to change now so that we can create a better future. It’s not too late: we can choose to change. Whatever our past has been, we can have a better future in Christ.
Scrooge learned his lesson well. When he was given a second chance he seized the opportunity and changed his ways to make the days of his life count. He became a man that understood the value of life and the joys of life, and he learned to truly love life.
I doubt that any of us will be visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, or Christmas Future as Scrooge was. However, you will be visited by God’s Spirit this Christmas and every Christmas because He never stops trying to reach us. His Spirit will point us to the only pathway to a second chance for a new life. Jesus is not just another lifestyle choice. He claimed exclusively to be ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’. If you want to make this Christmas one to remember, you need only to ask Jesus to forgive your past and invite him to enter your Christmas present. Then your life will be transformed now, and forever.
God bless us, Everyone!
In Christ,
Brown
P.S. I have recently had some difficulty sending some of my bulk mail by AOL. Therefore, I plan to change over to Roadrunner in the new year. I will be posting my daily devotional on my home page at brownnaik.com . Our dear friend, Julie Huff, from Broken Arrow, OK, posts these for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR_8kmOmxyk
Praise the Lord for Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. It was on this day, December 23, 1973, that my father died at an early age of 48. We (my mom, my brothers, my sisters, and myself) all go through moments of grief on this very date every year. Praise the Lord for the "sure and certain hope" the Lord has given us.
Sunita and Andy drove from Washington, DC last night and they arrived at home early this morning. Jessica and Tom will be coming home on Christmas day. Janice and her family are staying in Boston to celebrate Christmas at home - Boston style - this year.
We will meet for a special celebration this evening at 6 PM for a Christmas banquet followed by singing of carols and rejoicing. We will meet for two Christmas Eve services tomorrow evening, one at 7:00 PM and the other at 10:30 PM.
Alice has once again transformed the parsonage in to a Christmas house with 35 Christmas trees large and small, (and some that are very tiny). Praise the Lord for the Birth of our Savior and Lord. Christmas time is a time of hope, a time of joy, and a time of reconciliation. I am reflecting on Christmas in light of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". There is an echo of Christmas past that echoes down through the pages of history, whose timeless message haunts our every Christmas present. If we were to travel back further than the history of our own Christmas past, if we were to travel back further than the history of Scrooge’s Christmas past, if we were to travel back and re-visit that very first Christmas... 2000 years ago, if we were to gaze upon that first nativity scene – the Christ Child born in Bethlehem and lying in a manger, then all of our Christmas fears and disappointments would be dispelled and we would be filled with hope.
For on the night that Jesus was born, an angel appeared to shepherds and declared to them the good news that a Savior had been born. This good news was for “all people”. It was meant for young and for old, for rich and for poor, for Jews and the Gentiles, for you and for me. Christ had come, God in the flesh, to save us all. His birth wipes our past clean. All of our pain, all of our sorrows, all of our rejection, all of our broken relationships, all of our hurts are wrapped up in His love for us. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever might believe in him would not perish but receive eternal life’. That’s the hope and the promise of Christmas past. That is the hope and the promise of the God of second chances.
What becomes very obvious in reading "A Christmas Carol" is that Scrooge is a product of his history, of his Christmas’ gone by. Thus, the second spirit to visit him is the ghost of Christmas present. This spirit comes to gave him an opportunity to see what his life is truly like in the here and the now. He is shown the home of his employee, Bob Cratchit where, despite their poverty, it is filled with joy, compassion, and love for one another. There, as they sit down to their feeble Christmas dinner, Bob Cratchit still takes the time to share a toast to his greedy, selfish, miserly boss (the one who keeps him in abject poverty).
He is also shown the home of his nephew, the only person alive who has any affection for Scrooge whatsoever, even though that affection is totally unwarranted. Year after year this nephew had invited Scrooge to come and share in the joy and merriment of Christmas with him and his wife, and year after year Scrooge had rejected his invitation, but still the nephew invites.
The ghost of Christmas present shows Scrooge exactly what he has become. He reveals to him the hardness and callousness of his heart, as shown in his dismissal of the poverty and the needs of those around him. He shows total disregard and disdain for humanity itself.
Though he tried to justify his actions by the money that he had earned and how successful he was, in the things that counted he was nothing and he had nothing. The ghost of Christmas present shows him that even though he is utterly hard-hearted, bitter, and twisted, and though he may well seem beyond the point of redemption, despite all that the spirit shows him that others still love him and have not given up on him.
This is the promise of Christmas present. Every Christmas we are reminded that, no matter how bad we are, no matter how selfish we are, no matter how greedy we are, no matter how rebellious we are, no matter how much we reject him… God loves us and never gives up on us. Christmas is a time of love, joy, peace, and goodwill to all men. Scrooge was so self-centered, embittered, and materialistically motivated that he had lost sight of that completely. Before we become too critical of Scrooge, we need to remember that every one of us is capable of falling into the same trap, neglecting that which is truly important in life, and seeing money and the things it can buy as the answer to our problems. If we’re not careful the spirit of Scrooge can highjack every Christmas; turning our pilgrimage of faith into a pilgrimage to the shops.
Christmas is exactly what it says it is – a holy celebration of the Christ. However, for many people Christmas stopped being about Christ a long time ago. It has come to be about self- indulgence, extravagance, materialism, and money. And yet the story of Christmas is the very opposite. The story of Christmas is about the one who left all riches and all glory, gave them up, and came to be born in a stable, laid in a manger, and wrapped in swaddling clothes. That child was the one who came, not to be served but to serve. That’s the certainty of Christmas present.
At the heart of "A Christmas Carol" lies Scrooge’s transformation. Through his encounters with Christmas past, present, and future Scrooge was changed from a selfish, greedy, and bitter old man, into a grateful, generous, and compassionate figure. On that Christmas Eve he is confronted by the reality of who he is and where he is headed and he responds by changing his ways, he repents and changes his destiny.
Jesus, the Son of God, invites us to do the same. What better time than Christmas to receive his forgiveness, to renew our faith, and to rebuild our friendships? There’s a Scrooge in all of us that needs to be repented. The good news of Christmas is that we can learn from the past, to change now so that we can create a better future. It’s not too late: we can choose to change. Whatever our past has been, we can have a better future in Christ.
Scrooge learned his lesson well. When he was given a second chance he seized the opportunity and changed his ways to make the days of his life count. He became a man that understood the value of life and the joys of life, and he learned to truly love life.
I doubt that any of us will be visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, or Christmas Future as Scrooge was. However, you will be visited by God’s Spirit this Christmas and every Christmas because He never stops trying to reach us. His Spirit will point us to the only pathway to a second chance for a new life. Jesus is not just another lifestyle choice. He claimed exclusively to be ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’. If you want to make this Christmas one to remember, you need only to ask Jesus to forgive your past and invite him to enter your Christmas present. Then your life will be transformed now, and forever.
God bless us, Everyone!
In Christ,
Brown
P.S. I have recently had some difficulty sending some of my bulk mail by AOL. Therefore, I plan to change over to Roadrunner in the new year. I will be posting my daily devotional on my home page at brownnaik.com . Our dear friend, Julie Huff, from Broken Arrow, OK, posts these for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR_8kmOmxyk
Brown's Daily Word 12-23-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this wonderful season of seasons when we pause and ponder about the wonders of our Savior's birth. Praise the Lord that we can share and serve, receive and give, work and worship, and visit and declare the glories of His grace and love. The Lord blessed us with full soul and heart during the weekend, with the Living Nativity, Handel's Messiah, preparing and serving the meal for the needy in our area, gathering for a banquet and singing of Christmas carols, the worship time yesterday, the choir presenting the Cantata, the gifting to the children, and the reception with food and fellowship.
Praise the Lord for all His gifts. As we were celebrating in giving and receiving here at home, the Lord blessed us with over $5000.00 which is being sent to the persecuted Christians in Orissa , India. We will be providing food and clothing for the refugee camp( They are celebrating their second Christmas in the refugee camp) and for the children in the children's home, and give some support to some local Evangelists who are proclaiming the good news under difficult circumstances. Praise the Lord for your participation through your gifts. It is a great thrill to serve the Lord around the corner and around the globe. John Wesley said, "The World is our parish".
What is Christmas all about? Along with the Scriptures I love to read Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol", in which an ugly spirited man finds that “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). We meet Scroog, the miser, and become acquainted with all of his miserly ways. We encounter Scrooge rejecting pleas for food for the hungry, Scrooge to cheap to buy coal for Bob Cratchet’s fire, and Scrooge being warned by Marley’s ghost about the greed he forged in life which will curse him with an eternity of sorrow. Yet, there is another side to the story of Scrooge that is easy to miss. That is, Scrooge is not simply a miser, but he is utterly miserable. Not only is he unable to give, but he is unable to receive. Year after year, his only living kin, Fred, invites him to share in Christmas dinner and family love, and every year Scrooge refuses. Scrooge must learn the lesson of joyful sharing, but Scrooge must also learn what so many adults need to learn—that sometimes it is as blessed to receive as it is to give!
For some reason, it is often difficult for adults to receive gifts. Christmas is certainly about giving. We celebrate God giving Jesus to be our Savior. But Christmas is more than giving gifts; it is also about receiving gifts in general, and one simple gift in particular. Christmas is about opening our hands to receive the gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
One of the readings for yesterday was the Magnificat, as it is recorded in Luke 1.
Mary was the recipient of an incredible gift: God gave Mary the gift of being the mother of Jesus, the very Son of God. Her response was beautiful, “Be it unto me according to your word.” It was as if she opened her hands to receive God’s gift of love, peace, hope, and joy to the world. God offers his gift of love in Jesus Christ to the whole world, but there are some who will not receive that gift. As Mary thought about the precious gift of God’s love he offered to her, she burst aflame with praise. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” She could not help but praise God for what God had done, but then she realized that not every one would receive God’s love and mercy. “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” God’s mercy is for everyone who will receive it—that is what Mary is saying. The sad truth, however, is that there are those who have closed themselves off from receiving God’s love. Their hands are not reaching to receive, but are closed.
There are those who consider themselves too smart to need God. Imagine these people with their arms folded across their chests, protecting themselves from God’s love. Praising God, Mary said, “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts”. There are those whose hearts are closed to anything that cannot be proven to their satisfaction. For them, faith is unreasonable, and so receiving God’s love is impossible. Carl Sagan was certainly like that. Belief in God, any god, could not measure up to his scientific standard. Carl Sagan ,who taught at Cornell University and died at a very early age, once said, "I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking." Sagan was so incredibly open to the wonders of the cosmos, his arms were wide open to receive facts and evidence, but when it came to faith his arms were folded tightly across his chest. His intellectual pride closed him off from the love of God. He could not allow himself to receive God’s mercy.
There are those who consider themselves too powerful to need God. Mary, in her song of praise, said “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly”. The problem with the powerful is that they believe they have no need for God. It is no coincidence that faith in Christ is fastest growing in developing countries where the vast majority of people are powerless to affect positive change in their lives. All over the world, where people are oppressed, the Christian faith is growing and churches cannot be built fast enough. However, in the powerful west, thousands of churches are being closed every year. Receiving the gift of Jesus as Savior means surrendering to the love of God, but the powerful do not like to raise their hands in surrender. Instead, they prefer to raise their hands in a fist of power. It’s not power that is the problem, but it is the belief that because one is powerful that one has no need for God. Hands clenched in a fist cannot receive God’s love.
There are many who have a difficult time receiving the mercy and love of God, such as those who are too comfortable to feel a need for God. Mary sang out that God “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. If you are not hungry, food doesn’t look good to you. There are some who will not receive the gift of God’s mercy and love. You cannot accept God’s love if your hands are folded across your chest in pride. You cannot accept God’s mercy if your hands are clenched in power. You can only receive a gift when your hands are open.
Yesterday, we were able to give gifts to the children. We had collected over 60 gifts that were given. Children are eager to receive gifts with hands open. That is why they are able to accept gifts so easily. There’s nothing holding them back, and they want it all. That is the picture for us today. We can only receive God’s love when we reach out to God with arms and hands wide open. That is how God wants us to come to Him. He desires that we come with arms outstretched and hands open to receive. God desires us to take the gift of love in Jesus Christ that he offers us. The well of God’s love can never run dry. His mercy knows no limit. There is an endless supply of God’s grace.
Christmas is about giving because Christmas is about God giving us his Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior. But Christmas is also about receiving God’s gift. Let us open our hands, reaching out to God, and accept His love and mercy. When we do, we will join Mary in her song, and shout out, "My soul magnifies the Lord"
In Christ our Saviour and Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHMAQKSJFhI
Praise the Lord for this wonderful season of seasons when we pause and ponder about the wonders of our Savior's birth. Praise the Lord that we can share and serve, receive and give, work and worship, and visit and declare the glories of His grace and love. The Lord blessed us with full soul and heart during the weekend, with the Living Nativity, Handel's Messiah, preparing and serving the meal for the needy in our area, gathering for a banquet and singing of Christmas carols, the worship time yesterday, the choir presenting the Cantata, the gifting to the children, and the reception with food and fellowship.
Praise the Lord for all His gifts. As we were celebrating in giving and receiving here at home, the Lord blessed us with over $5000.00 which is being sent to the persecuted Christians in Orissa , India. We will be providing food and clothing for the refugee camp( They are celebrating their second Christmas in the refugee camp) and for the children in the children's home, and give some support to some local Evangelists who are proclaiming the good news under difficult circumstances. Praise the Lord for your participation through your gifts. It is a great thrill to serve the Lord around the corner and around the globe. John Wesley said, "The World is our parish".
What is Christmas all about? Along with the Scriptures I love to read Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol", in which an ugly spirited man finds that “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). We meet Scroog, the miser, and become acquainted with all of his miserly ways. We encounter Scrooge rejecting pleas for food for the hungry, Scrooge to cheap to buy coal for Bob Cratchet’s fire, and Scrooge being warned by Marley’s ghost about the greed he forged in life which will curse him with an eternity of sorrow. Yet, there is another side to the story of Scrooge that is easy to miss. That is, Scrooge is not simply a miser, but he is utterly miserable. Not only is he unable to give, but he is unable to receive. Year after year, his only living kin, Fred, invites him to share in Christmas dinner and family love, and every year Scrooge refuses. Scrooge must learn the lesson of joyful sharing, but Scrooge must also learn what so many adults need to learn—that sometimes it is as blessed to receive as it is to give!
For some reason, it is often difficult for adults to receive gifts. Christmas is certainly about giving. We celebrate God giving Jesus to be our Savior. But Christmas is more than giving gifts; it is also about receiving gifts in general, and one simple gift in particular. Christmas is about opening our hands to receive the gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
One of the readings for yesterday was the Magnificat, as it is recorded in Luke 1.
Mary was the recipient of an incredible gift: God gave Mary the gift of being the mother of Jesus, the very Son of God. Her response was beautiful, “Be it unto me according to your word.” It was as if she opened her hands to receive God’s gift of love, peace, hope, and joy to the world. God offers his gift of love in Jesus Christ to the whole world, but there are some who will not receive that gift. As Mary thought about the precious gift of God’s love he offered to her, she burst aflame with praise. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” She could not help but praise God for what God had done, but then she realized that not every one would receive God’s love and mercy. “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” God’s mercy is for everyone who will receive it—that is what Mary is saying. The sad truth, however, is that there are those who have closed themselves off from receiving God’s love. Their hands are not reaching to receive, but are closed.
There are those who consider themselves too smart to need God. Imagine these people with their arms folded across their chests, protecting themselves from God’s love. Praising God, Mary said, “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts”. There are those whose hearts are closed to anything that cannot be proven to their satisfaction. For them, faith is unreasonable, and so receiving God’s love is impossible. Carl Sagan was certainly like that. Belief in God, any god, could not measure up to his scientific standard. Carl Sagan ,who taught at Cornell University and died at a very early age, once said, "I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking." Sagan was so incredibly open to the wonders of the cosmos, his arms were wide open to receive facts and evidence, but when it came to faith his arms were folded tightly across his chest. His intellectual pride closed him off from the love of God. He could not allow himself to receive God’s mercy.
There are those who consider themselves too powerful to need God. Mary, in her song of praise, said “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly”. The problem with the powerful is that they believe they have no need for God. It is no coincidence that faith in Christ is fastest growing in developing countries where the vast majority of people are powerless to affect positive change in their lives. All over the world, where people are oppressed, the Christian faith is growing and churches cannot be built fast enough. However, in the powerful west, thousands of churches are being closed every year. Receiving the gift of Jesus as Savior means surrendering to the love of God, but the powerful do not like to raise their hands in surrender. Instead, they prefer to raise their hands in a fist of power. It’s not power that is the problem, but it is the belief that because one is powerful that one has no need for God. Hands clenched in a fist cannot receive God’s love.
There are many who have a difficult time receiving the mercy and love of God, such as those who are too comfortable to feel a need for God. Mary sang out that God “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. If you are not hungry, food doesn’t look good to you. There are some who will not receive the gift of God’s mercy and love. You cannot accept God’s love if your hands are folded across your chest in pride. You cannot accept God’s mercy if your hands are clenched in power. You can only receive a gift when your hands are open.
Yesterday, we were able to give gifts to the children. We had collected over 60 gifts that were given. Children are eager to receive gifts with hands open. That is why they are able to accept gifts so easily. There’s nothing holding them back, and they want it all. That is the picture for us today. We can only receive God’s love when we reach out to God with arms and hands wide open. That is how God wants us to come to Him. He desires that we come with arms outstretched and hands open to receive. God desires us to take the gift of love in Jesus Christ that he offers us. The well of God’s love can never run dry. His mercy knows no limit. There is an endless supply of God’s grace.
Christmas is about giving because Christmas is about God giving us his Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior. But Christmas is also about receiving God’s gift. Let us open our hands, reaching out to God, and accept His love and mercy. When we do, we will join Mary in her song, and shout out, "My soul magnifies the Lord"
In Christ our Saviour and Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHMAQKSJFhI
Monday, December 21, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-21-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this wonderful season of seasons when we pause and ponder about the wonders of our Savior's birth. Praise the Lord that we can share and serve, receive and give, work and worship, and visit and declare the glories of His grace and love. The Lord blessed us with full soul and heart during the weekend, with the Living Nativity, Handel's Messiah, preparing and serving the meal for the needy in our area, gathering for a banquet and singing of Christmas carols, the worship time yesterday, the choir presenting the Cantata, the gifting to the children, and the reception with food and fellowship.
Praise the Lord for all His gifts. As we were celebrating in giving and receiving here at home, the Lord blessed us with over $5000.00 which is being sent to the persecuted Christians in Orissa , India. We will be providing food and clothing for the refugee camp( They are celebrating their second Christmas in the refugee capm) and for the children in the children's home, and give some support to some local Evangelists who are proclaiming the good news under difficult circumstances. Praise the Lord for your participation through your gifts. It is a great thrill to serve the Lord around the corner and around the globe. John Wesley said, "The World is our parish".
What is Christmas all about? Along with the Scriptures I love to read Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol", in which an ugly spirited man finds that “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). We meet Scroog, the miser, and become acquainted with all of his miserly ways. We encounter Scrooge rejecting pleas for food for the hungry, Scrooge to cheap to buy coal for Bob Cratchet’s fire, and Scrooge being warned by Marley’s ghost about the greed he forged in life which will curse him with an eternity of sorrow. Yet, there is another side to the story of Scrooge that is easy to miss. That is, Scrooge is not simply a miser, but he is utterly miserable. Not only is he unable to give, but he is unable to receive. Year after year, his only living kin, Fred, invites him to share in Christmas dinner and family love, and every year Scrooge refuses. Scrooge must learn the lesson of joyful sharing, but Scrooge must also learn what so many adults need to learn—that sometimes it is as blessed to receive as it is to give!
For some reason, it is often difficult for adults to receive gifts. Christmas is certainly about giving. We celebrate God giving Jesus to be our Savior. But Christmas is more than giving gifts; it is also about receiving gifts in general, and one simple gift in particular. Christmas is about opening our hands to receive the gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
One of the readings for yesterday was the Magnificat, as it is recorded in Luke 1.
Mary was the recipient of an incredible gift: God gave Mary the gift of being the mother of Jesus, the very Son of God. Her response was beautiful, “Be it unto me according to your word.” It was as if she opened her hands to receive God’s gift of love, peace, hope, and joy to the world. God offers his gift of love in Jesus Christ to the whole world, but there are some who will not receive that gift. As Mary thought about the precious gift of God’s love he offered to her, she burst aflame with praise. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” She could not help but praise God for what God had done, but then she realized that not every one would receive God’s love and mercy. “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” God’s mercy is for everyone who will receive it—that is what Mary is saying. The sad truth, however, is that there are those who have closed themselves off from receiving God’s love. Their hands are not reaching to receive, but are closed.
There are those who consider themselves too smart to need God. Imagine these people with their arms folded across their chests, protecting themselves from God’s love. Praising God, Mary said, “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts”. There are those whose hearts are closed to anything that cannot be proven to their satisfaction. For them, faith is unreasonable, and so receiving God’s love is impossible. Carl Sagan was certainly like that. Belief in God, any god, could not measure up to his scientific standard. Carl Sagan ,who taught at Cornell University and died at a very early age, once said, "I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking." Sagan was so incredibly open to the wonders of the cosmos, his arms were wide open to receive facts and evidence, but when it came to faith his arms were folded tightly across his chest. His intellectual pride closed him off from the love of God. He could not allow himself to receive God’s mercy.
There are those who consider themselves too powerful to need God. Mary, in her song of praise, said “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly”. The problem with the powerful is that they believe they have no need for God. It is no coincidence that faith in Christ is fastest growing in developing countries where the vast majority of people are powerless to affect positive change in their lives. All over the world, where people are oppressed, the Christian faith is growing and churches cannot be built fast enough. However, in the powerful west, thousands of churches are being closed every year. Receiving the gift of Jesus as Savior means surrendering to the love of God, but the powerful do not like to raise their hands in surrender. Instead, they prefer to raise their hands in a fist of power. It’s not power that is the problem, but it is the belief that because one is powerful that one has no need for God. Hands clenched in a fist cannot receive God’s love.
There are many who have a difficult time receiving the mercy and love of God, such as those who are too comfortable to feel a need for God. Mary sang out that God “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. If you are not hungry, food doesn’t look good to you. There are some who will not receive the gift of God’s mercy and love. You cannot accept God’s love if your hands are folded across your chest in pride. You cannot accept God’s mercy if your hands are clenched in power. You can only receive a gift when your hands are open.
Yesterday, we were able to give gifts to the children. We had collected over 60 gifts that were given. Children are eager to receive gifts with hands open. That is why they are able to accept gifts so easily. There’s nothing holding them back, and they want it all. That is the picture for us today. We can only receive God’s love when we reach out to God with arms and hands wide open. That is how God wants us to come to Him. He desires that we come with arms outstretched and hands open to receive. God desires us to take the gift of love in Jesus Christ that he offers us. The well of God’s love can never run dry. His mercy knows no limit. There is an endless supply of God’s grace.
Christmas is about giving because Christmas is about God giving us his Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior. But Christmas is also about receiving God’s gift. Let us open our hands, reaching out to God, and accept His love and mercy. When we do, we will join Mary in her song, and shout out, "My soul magnifies the Lord"
In Christ our Saviour and Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHMAQKSJFhI
Praise the Lord for this wonderful season of seasons when we pause and ponder about the wonders of our Savior's birth. Praise the Lord that we can share and serve, receive and give, work and worship, and visit and declare the glories of His grace and love. The Lord blessed us with full soul and heart during the weekend, with the Living Nativity, Handel's Messiah, preparing and serving the meal for the needy in our area, gathering for a banquet and singing of Christmas carols, the worship time yesterday, the choir presenting the Cantata, the gifting to the children, and the reception with food and fellowship.
Praise the Lord for all His gifts. As we were celebrating in giving and receiving here at home, the Lord blessed us with over $5000.00 which is being sent to the persecuted Christians in Orissa , India. We will be providing food and clothing for the refugee camp( They are celebrating their second Christmas in the refugee capm) and for the children in the children's home, and give some support to some local Evangelists who are proclaiming the good news under difficult circumstances. Praise the Lord for your participation through your gifts. It is a great thrill to serve the Lord around the corner and around the globe. John Wesley said, "The World is our parish".
What is Christmas all about? Along with the Scriptures I love to read Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol", in which an ugly spirited man finds that “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). We meet Scroog, the miser, and become acquainted with all of his miserly ways. We encounter Scrooge rejecting pleas for food for the hungry, Scrooge to cheap to buy coal for Bob Cratchet’s fire, and Scrooge being warned by Marley’s ghost about the greed he forged in life which will curse him with an eternity of sorrow. Yet, there is another side to the story of Scrooge that is easy to miss. That is, Scrooge is not simply a miser, but he is utterly miserable. Not only is he unable to give, but he is unable to receive. Year after year, his only living kin, Fred, invites him to share in Christmas dinner and family love, and every year Scrooge refuses. Scrooge must learn the lesson of joyful sharing, but Scrooge must also learn what so many adults need to learn—that sometimes it is as blessed to receive as it is to give!
For some reason, it is often difficult for adults to receive gifts. Christmas is certainly about giving. We celebrate God giving Jesus to be our Savior. But Christmas is more than giving gifts; it is also about receiving gifts in general, and one simple gift in particular. Christmas is about opening our hands to receive the gift of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
One of the readings for yesterday was the Magnificat, as it is recorded in Luke 1.
Mary was the recipient of an incredible gift: God gave Mary the gift of being the mother of Jesus, the very Son of God. Her response was beautiful, “Be it unto me according to your word.” It was as if she opened her hands to receive God’s gift of love, peace, hope, and joy to the world. God offers his gift of love in Jesus Christ to the whole world, but there are some who will not receive that gift. As Mary thought about the precious gift of God’s love he offered to her, she burst aflame with praise. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.” She could not help but praise God for what God had done, but then she realized that not every one would receive God’s love and mercy. “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” God’s mercy is for everyone who will receive it—that is what Mary is saying. The sad truth, however, is that there are those who have closed themselves off from receiving God’s love. Their hands are not reaching to receive, but are closed.
There are those who consider themselves too smart to need God. Imagine these people with their arms folded across their chests, protecting themselves from God’s love. Praising God, Mary said, “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts”. There are those whose hearts are closed to anything that cannot be proven to their satisfaction. For them, faith is unreasonable, and so receiving God’s love is impossible. Carl Sagan was certainly like that. Belief in God, any god, could not measure up to his scientific standard. Carl Sagan ,who taught at Cornell University and died at a very early age, once said, "I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking." Sagan was so incredibly open to the wonders of the cosmos, his arms were wide open to receive facts and evidence, but when it came to faith his arms were folded tightly across his chest. His intellectual pride closed him off from the love of God. He could not allow himself to receive God’s mercy.
There are those who consider themselves too powerful to need God. Mary, in her song of praise, said “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly”. The problem with the powerful is that they believe they have no need for God. It is no coincidence that faith in Christ is fastest growing in developing countries where the vast majority of people are powerless to affect positive change in their lives. All over the world, where people are oppressed, the Christian faith is growing and churches cannot be built fast enough. However, in the powerful west, thousands of churches are being closed every year. Receiving the gift of Jesus as Savior means surrendering to the love of God, but the powerful do not like to raise their hands in surrender. Instead, they prefer to raise their hands in a fist of power. It’s not power that is the problem, but it is the belief that because one is powerful that one has no need for God. Hands clenched in a fist cannot receive God’s love.
There are many who have a difficult time receiving the mercy and love of God, such as those who are too comfortable to feel a need for God. Mary sang out that God “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. If you are not hungry, food doesn’t look good to you. There are some who will not receive the gift of God’s mercy and love. You cannot accept God’s love if your hands are folded across your chest in pride. You cannot accept God’s mercy if your hands are clenched in power. You can only receive a gift when your hands are open.
Yesterday, we were able to give gifts to the children. We had collected over 60 gifts that were given. Children are eager to receive gifts with hands open. That is why they are able to accept gifts so easily. There’s nothing holding them back, and they want it all. That is the picture for us today. We can only receive God’s love when we reach out to God with arms and hands wide open. That is how God wants us to come to Him. He desires that we come with arms outstretched and hands open to receive. God desires us to take the gift of love in Jesus Christ that he offers us. The well of God’s love can never run dry. His mercy knows no limit. There is an endless supply of God’s grace.
Christmas is about giving because Christmas is about God giving us his Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior. But Christmas is also about receiving God’s gift. Let us open our hands, reaching out to God, and accept His love and mercy. When we do, we will join Mary in her song, and shout out, "My soul magnifies the Lord"
In Christ our Saviour and Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHMAQKSJFhI
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The Christmas letter 2009 by Alice Naik
December, 2009
Dear friends,
Another year is almost past, and with its waning we are called to ponder the many
experiences which have been woven into the fabric of our lives this year. We have known many
bright moments that are indelibly imprinted in our minds. There have also been many times that
may at first seem dull or commonplace, difficult or impossible to recall, that are essentially the
canvas of life. When we pause to look back over 2009, we get but a glimpse of a small part of our
life’s tapestry. The small section formed over the course of this year includes bright red, yellow,
and golden hues of celebration. It also contains dark threads of loss, grey threads of uncertainty
or discouragement, blues that are identified with times of calmness and rest, and green threads
representing life. Purples richly cascade in and out among all of the others, declaring preparation
for the presence of Christ's royalty among us. Between it all run the warp and woof of music,
laughter, whispered secrets, and happy plans.
Throughout the course of this year we have sensed with increased urgency the need to
celebrate life. Every time our empty nest at the Parsonage is about to be filled with one or more of
our dear daughters, or their families, we have sensed the vital importance of preparation. We
vacuum, mop, dust, scrub bathrooms, bake, cook, attend to special projects, and stock the larder
so that we may fully enjoy our times together. The arrival of family members brings with them a
sense of celebration. We talk, laugh, sing, reminisce, and eat. (Of course we eat – every Naik
celebration includes a feast!) Life, even in its smaller moments, is worth celebrating.
This year has been especially worthy of celebrating in so many ways. Just prior to her
birthday, Jessica became engaged to Thomas Ross, who is already becoming a son to us. Jessy
and Tom have been industriously making plans for their February, 2010 wedding (details, details).
Most recently, with the help of Tom’s parents, they have been looking for their first home. The
Lord has arranged so many details, and it looks as if their home will be ready for closing before
their wedding day. We have enjoyed having Jessy and Tom home for many weekends over the
course of the year. I also managed to get down to Philadelphia to spend a couple of weekends
with them over the course of the Spring and Summer. (On the first weekend they gave me a great
introduction to Philly, taking me to the Shad Festival, out for gelato, and then to dinner at a
creperie). Jess and Tom are actively involved in the Vineyard Church in Philadelphia. We are so
blessed that the Lord has drawn Jessy and Tom together, and our memories are golden and
brilliant.
Laureen has been living in the Binghamton area this year, and we have been blessed by her
presence. She spent many months working at Lourdes Hospital on the Labor and Delivery floor,
applying her special skills to caring for newborns and their moms, and attending Caesarian
deliveries to help with high risk births. In September she left her job to go on a short term
musical mission with the Fall Tour of the Continentals. After extensive travel across the US and
Canada, including a harrowing drive through snowy mountain passes in Colorado and New
Mexico, she spent 3 weeks ministering in Thailand. We missed her greatly, prayed for her
regularly, and welcomed her heartily upon her return on November 23. Though jet lag
overwhelmed her for many days, she is happily and energetically preparing for Christmas. She
even took Micah back to Boston after Thanksgiving (she’s a wonderful auntie). Laureen has
added memories that are red with excitement, blue with calm resolve, green with new direction.
At the end of this month she is planning to attend Urbana 2009 in St. Louis, MO.
Sunita and Andy have had a super-busy, fulfilling year. This year, after much thought and
even more prayer, they undertook the purchase of a house in Northeastern Washington, DC.
Their beloved “money pit” is a gracious and beautiful home for them, and a welcoming “guest
house” for the many people whom they have welcomed there. They have been thoughtfully,
carefully, choosing colors that reflect themselves, warm golden hues and soothing greens. We
have made several trips to DC this year, usually accompanied by small children and various pieces
of furniture. Bernard, Elisha, and Susannah have twice bee our passengers, squeezed in among
the odd pieces that were destined for the DC home. Shelley, Sharon, and Hosannah also have
gone there with us, and were lucky enough to go to the National Zoo on a 72 degree day when the
orangutans were out on their overhead highway, the anteaters made an extended appearance, and
the other animals were happy to be outside. Sunita and Andy love the Lord, and serve him in
many ways, including a prayer ministry that they have trained for. Sunita still travels from time
to time, and has been to Bangladesh, India, and Israel recently. Sunita and Andy continue to be
actively involved in St. Brendan’s Anglican Church. Sunita and some of her friends from
Washington will be going on a short-term mission trip to Orissa in March, Lord willing, to visit
the persecuted Church there and encourage believers.
Janice and Jeremy are still living in their little house in the big city (or, at least, it is big for
us). Micah and Simeon are growing so quickly that we can barely keep up. Micah recently turned
four, and Simeon turned two in the Summer. Micah has long been a master of words and
thoughts, and Simeon, who should be trying out soon to replace Andy Pettit, is now building a nice
vocabulary. Janice and Jeremy love to take the kids to their favorite retreat in North Conway,
New Hampshire. There they ride the train, hike the mountains, enjoy favorite restaurants, and
take in the stunning scenery. Jeremy continues to work for a downtown firm in Boston,
sharpening his legal skills, while Janice works only part time for Healthcare for the Homeless.
This year she designed a web site and opened a children’s photography business, specializing in
capturing “a child’s nature”. Her artistic photography has been featured in a local boutique, and
Janice is loving her new avocation. Janice, Micah, and Simeon will all have leading roles in
Jessy’s upcoming wedding ceremony, and Micah cannot wait to wear her princess dress. (Simeon
couldn’t care less right now but, as ring-bearer, he should provide some interesting entertainment
on that day). Life is a daily adventure with Janice and her family, and she loves it. Janice and
Jeremy are involved in First Presbyterian Church in Ipswich, MA.
As for us, we are blessed to be serving in our twentieth year in Union Center, preparing to
celebrate our twentieth Christmas here. The parsonage is aglow with lights and sparkle, and
festive with many trees, “houses”, and other seasonal décor. Our hearts are aglow with the love
and joy of our Savior, the sweet times of communion with our family, and our many friends
throughout the world and in our neighborhood. We sometimes cannot believe that the Lord has
allowed us to remain in one place for so long. When Brown and I were children, we each spent
our entire lifetime living in one house. For me, that meant that I was 22 when I left “home”, and
now we have been at home in Union Center for almost that long. What a blessing that is! Every
familiar nook and cranny remind us of the sweet times we have enjoyed in this dear home.
At Thanksgiving this year we were blessed to have all of our family home for all or part of
Thanksgiving break. We joyfully celebrated the season, with playing, laughter, long chats, and
lots of hugs all around. We had an early Christmas celebration with Janice, Jeremy, Micah, and
Simeon, and were touched and renewed by the excitement of the children. “Christmas was made
for children”, or so they say. It is a rosy, lively, vibrant time, sparkling with anticipation and
sprinkled liberally with laughter. It was a worthy celebration! On Thanksgiving Day itself, we
gathered with some friends at the Church, where we prepared a served a mighty 3-turkey feast
(with the help of friends). All were welcome who needed a family to share with on that day.
Brown has entered his twentieth year of ministry in Union Center with vigor. Though he
had some health concerns this summer, the Lord has given grace to overcome. The Lord has
granted His grace to continue the ministry of preaching, teaching, writing, visitation, hospitality,
and television outreach. He loves to entertain friends around the table so we often invite friends
into our home. He is excited about this Holy Season of Advent and Christmas, and about sharing
the Good News, as we experience it afresh and anew in our own hearts. .
I continue to have a quietly lively, busy, fulfilling life. Teaching Geometry at Marathon
basically keeps me out of trouble during the school year, but I try to keep some time on weekends
for household maintenance, shopping, sewing, “connecting” on Facebook, and participating in life
within the church family. Occasionally I have been blessed to preach (just a two or three times a
year), and I am always amazed and overwhelmed by how much more I learn about the Word on
those occasions. Also, in case you haven’t guessed it yet, I simply love this time of year. I find the
preparations for the celebration of Christmas to be energizing, uplifting, exciting, and fulfilling.
Preparation always precedes celebration, and in order to full enjoy the celebration we must be
ready in every aspect. We must especially prepare our hearts and minds, reminding ourselves
that Christ came to us in human form so that we might establish a father-child relationship with
God Almighty.
Just now, as we enter the season of Advent, it is a time of preparation for the season of
Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord. At home, we clean out some of the clutter
from our main rooms, and then dig through lonely closets to find the lovingly stored boxes of
bright decorations that will fill all of the spaces that were just cleaned. These are but a symbol of
the joy that we feel because the Christ of Christmas came to sweep the dirt of sin and clutter of
preoccupation with the world’s affairs from our lives, only to fill the dark and lonely places with
His light, His joy, His peace, and His fellowship. CELEBRATE! G. K. Chesterton wrote, “For
men are homesick in their homes, and strangers under the sun, and they lay their heads in a
foreign land whenever the day is done.” “To an open house in the evening home shall men come,
to an older place than Eden and a taller town than Rome, to the place where God was homeless
and all men are at home.” Praise the Lord for the way He has given us a new family in Jesus
Christ, “for as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” Praise
the Lord for each of you, around the corner and around the world.
In Christ, our Savior and Lord,
Brown and Alice
Dear friends,
Another year is almost past, and with its waning we are called to ponder the many
experiences which have been woven into the fabric of our lives this year. We have known many
bright moments that are indelibly imprinted in our minds. There have also been many times that
may at first seem dull or commonplace, difficult or impossible to recall, that are essentially the
canvas of life. When we pause to look back over 2009, we get but a glimpse of a small part of our
life’s tapestry. The small section formed over the course of this year includes bright red, yellow,
and golden hues of celebration. It also contains dark threads of loss, grey threads of uncertainty
or discouragement, blues that are identified with times of calmness and rest, and green threads
representing life. Purples richly cascade in and out among all of the others, declaring preparation
for the presence of Christ's royalty among us. Between it all run the warp and woof of music,
laughter, whispered secrets, and happy plans.
Throughout the course of this year we have sensed with increased urgency the need to
celebrate life. Every time our empty nest at the Parsonage is about to be filled with one or more of
our dear daughters, or their families, we have sensed the vital importance of preparation. We
vacuum, mop, dust, scrub bathrooms, bake, cook, attend to special projects, and stock the larder
so that we may fully enjoy our times together. The arrival of family members brings with them a
sense of celebration. We talk, laugh, sing, reminisce, and eat. (Of course we eat – every Naik
celebration includes a feast!) Life, even in its smaller moments, is worth celebrating.
This year has been especially worthy of celebrating in so many ways. Just prior to her
birthday, Jessica became engaged to Thomas Ross, who is already becoming a son to us. Jessy
and Tom have been industriously making plans for their February, 2010 wedding (details, details).
Most recently, with the help of Tom’s parents, they have been looking for their first home. The
Lord has arranged so many details, and it looks as if their home will be ready for closing before
their wedding day. We have enjoyed having Jessy and Tom home for many weekends over the
course of the year. I also managed to get down to Philadelphia to spend a couple of weekends
with them over the course of the Spring and Summer. (On the first weekend they gave me a great
introduction to Philly, taking me to the Shad Festival, out for gelato, and then to dinner at a
creperie). Jess and Tom are actively involved in the Vineyard Church in Philadelphia. We are so
blessed that the Lord has drawn Jessy and Tom together, and our memories are golden and
brilliant.
Laureen has been living in the Binghamton area this year, and we have been blessed by her
presence. She spent many months working at Lourdes Hospital on the Labor and Delivery floor,
applying her special skills to caring for newborns and their moms, and attending Caesarian
deliveries to help with high risk births. In September she left her job to go on a short term
musical mission with the Fall Tour of the Continentals. After extensive travel across the US and
Canada, including a harrowing drive through snowy mountain passes in Colorado and New
Mexico, she spent 3 weeks ministering in Thailand. We missed her greatly, prayed for her
regularly, and welcomed her heartily upon her return on November 23. Though jet lag
overwhelmed her for many days, she is happily and energetically preparing for Christmas. She
even took Micah back to Boston after Thanksgiving (she’s a wonderful auntie). Laureen has
added memories that are red with excitement, blue with calm resolve, green with new direction.
At the end of this month she is planning to attend Urbana 2009 in St. Louis, MO.
Sunita and Andy have had a super-busy, fulfilling year. This year, after much thought and
even more prayer, they undertook the purchase of a house in Northeastern Washington, DC.
Their beloved “money pit” is a gracious and beautiful home for them, and a welcoming “guest
house” for the many people whom they have welcomed there. They have been thoughtfully,
carefully, choosing colors that reflect themselves, warm golden hues and soothing greens. We
have made several trips to DC this year, usually accompanied by small children and various pieces
of furniture. Bernard, Elisha, and Susannah have twice bee our passengers, squeezed in among
the odd pieces that were destined for the DC home. Shelley, Sharon, and Hosannah also have
gone there with us, and were lucky enough to go to the National Zoo on a 72 degree day when the
orangutans were out on their overhead highway, the anteaters made an extended appearance, and
the other animals were happy to be outside. Sunita and Andy love the Lord, and serve him in
many ways, including a prayer ministry that they have trained for. Sunita still travels from time
to time, and has been to Bangladesh, India, and Israel recently. Sunita and Andy continue to be
actively involved in St. Brendan’s Anglican Church. Sunita and some of her friends from
Washington will be going on a short-term mission trip to Orissa in March, Lord willing, to visit
the persecuted Church there and encourage believers.
Janice and Jeremy are still living in their little house in the big city (or, at least, it is big for
us). Micah and Simeon are growing so quickly that we can barely keep up. Micah recently turned
four, and Simeon turned two in the Summer. Micah has long been a master of words and
thoughts, and Simeon, who should be trying out soon to replace Andy Pettit, is now building a nice
vocabulary. Janice and Jeremy love to take the kids to their favorite retreat in North Conway,
New Hampshire. There they ride the train, hike the mountains, enjoy favorite restaurants, and
take in the stunning scenery. Jeremy continues to work for a downtown firm in Boston,
sharpening his legal skills, while Janice works only part time for Healthcare for the Homeless.
This year she designed a web site and opened a children’s photography business, specializing in
capturing “a child’s nature”. Her artistic photography has been featured in a local boutique, and
Janice is loving her new avocation. Janice, Micah, and Simeon will all have leading roles in
Jessy’s upcoming wedding ceremony, and Micah cannot wait to wear her princess dress. (Simeon
couldn’t care less right now but, as ring-bearer, he should provide some interesting entertainment
on that day). Life is a daily adventure with Janice and her family, and she loves it. Janice and
Jeremy are involved in First Presbyterian Church in Ipswich, MA.
As for us, we are blessed to be serving in our twentieth year in Union Center, preparing to
celebrate our twentieth Christmas here. The parsonage is aglow with lights and sparkle, and
festive with many trees, “houses”, and other seasonal décor. Our hearts are aglow with the love
and joy of our Savior, the sweet times of communion with our family, and our many friends
throughout the world and in our neighborhood. We sometimes cannot believe that the Lord has
allowed us to remain in one place for so long. When Brown and I were children, we each spent
our entire lifetime living in one house. For me, that meant that I was 22 when I left “home”, and
now we have been at home in Union Center for almost that long. What a blessing that is! Every
familiar nook and cranny remind us of the sweet times we have enjoyed in this dear home.
At Thanksgiving this year we were blessed to have all of our family home for all or part of
Thanksgiving break. We joyfully celebrated the season, with playing, laughter, long chats, and
lots of hugs all around. We had an early Christmas celebration with Janice, Jeremy, Micah, and
Simeon, and were touched and renewed by the excitement of the children. “Christmas was made
for children”, or so they say. It is a rosy, lively, vibrant time, sparkling with anticipation and
sprinkled liberally with laughter. It was a worthy celebration! On Thanksgiving Day itself, we
gathered with some friends at the Church, where we prepared a served a mighty 3-turkey feast
(with the help of friends). All were welcome who needed a family to share with on that day.
Brown has entered his twentieth year of ministry in Union Center with vigor. Though he
had some health concerns this summer, the Lord has given grace to overcome. The Lord has
granted His grace to continue the ministry of preaching, teaching, writing, visitation, hospitality,
and television outreach. He loves to entertain friends around the table so we often invite friends
into our home. He is excited about this Holy Season of Advent and Christmas, and about sharing
the Good News, as we experience it afresh and anew in our own hearts. .
I continue to have a quietly lively, busy, fulfilling life. Teaching Geometry at Marathon
basically keeps me out of trouble during the school year, but I try to keep some time on weekends
for household maintenance, shopping, sewing, “connecting” on Facebook, and participating in life
within the church family. Occasionally I have been blessed to preach (just a two or three times a
year), and I am always amazed and overwhelmed by how much more I learn about the Word on
those occasions. Also, in case you haven’t guessed it yet, I simply love this time of year. I find the
preparations for the celebration of Christmas to be energizing, uplifting, exciting, and fulfilling.
Preparation always precedes celebration, and in order to full enjoy the celebration we must be
ready in every aspect. We must especially prepare our hearts and minds, reminding ourselves
that Christ came to us in human form so that we might establish a father-child relationship with
God Almighty.
Just now, as we enter the season of Advent, it is a time of preparation for the season of
Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord. At home, we clean out some of the clutter
from our main rooms, and then dig through lonely closets to find the lovingly stored boxes of
bright decorations that will fill all of the spaces that were just cleaned. These are but a symbol of
the joy that we feel because the Christ of Christmas came to sweep the dirt of sin and clutter of
preoccupation with the world’s affairs from our lives, only to fill the dark and lonely places with
His light, His joy, His peace, and His fellowship. CELEBRATE! G. K. Chesterton wrote, “For
men are homesick in their homes, and strangers under the sun, and they lay their heads in a
foreign land whenever the day is done.” “To an open house in the evening home shall men come,
to an older place than Eden and a taller town than Rome, to the place where God was homeless
and all men are at home.” Praise the Lord for the way He has given us a new family in Jesus
Christ, “for as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” Praise
the Lord for each of you, around the corner and around the world.
In Christ, our Savior and Lord,
Brown and Alice
Friday, December 18, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-18-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is the King of Nations. As we begin to celebrate the Birth of our Savior and Lord we are aware of the wars that are going on among the nations of the world. In the midst of the wars and rumors of wars we proclaim the birth of the Prince of Peace.
The following story appeared in newspapers nationwide on December 25, 1994 from the Associated Press, dateline London.
"Eighty years ago, on the first Christmas Day of World War I, British and German troops put down their guns and celebrated peacefully together in the no-man’s land between the trenches. The war, briefly, came to a halt. In some places, festivities began when German troops lit candles on Christmas trees on their parapets so the British sentries a few hundred yards away could see them.
"Elsewhere, the British acted first, starting bonfires and letting off rockets.
Pvt. Oswald Tilley of the London Rifle Brigade wrote to his parents: 'Just you think that while you were eating your turkey etc. I was out talking and shaking hands with the very men I had been trying to kill a few hours before! It was astounding.'
"Both armies had received lots of comforts from home and felt generous and well-disposed toward their enemies in the first winter of the war, before the vast battles of attrition began in 1915, eventually claiming ten million lives.
All along the line that Christmas Day, soldiers found their enemies were much like them and began asking why they should be trying to kill each other.
The generals were shocked. High Command diaries and statements express anxiety that if that sort of thing spread it could sap the troops’ will to fight.
The soldiers in khaki and gray sang carols to each other, exchanged gifts of tobacco, jam, sausage, chocolate and liquor, traded names and addresses and played soccer between the shell holes and barbed wire. They even paid mutual trench visits.
"This day is called 'the most famous truce in military history' by British television producer Malcolm Brown and researcher Shirley Seaton in their book 'Christmas Truce,' published in 1984."
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end."
Christ came to bring peace. Peace was the message that the angels proclaimed in Luke 2:8–14. "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'"
The Peace of Jesus is not the absence of trouble, but it is the presence of God in the midst of trouble. The vision of Isaiah is not simply a kind of peace that is imposed upon us. Rather, it fills the soul of each person and emanates outward. There is peace socially because each person is filled with compassion and meets the needs of those around them. The simple prayer attributed to St. Francis illustrates our deepest intentions.
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . .hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . .joy
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life .
Let there be pace on earth.
In Christ,
Brown
Praise the Lord for this season. I get excited about the Birth of our Lord and Savior. It is a great thrill to serve Him and worship Him. May He provoke us to go beyond our comfort zone as Mary did to obey Him and proclaim His glory in word and deed.
Pray for the Church around the world during this season as proclaim His birth .
Please pray for us and those who live in this area come and share and rejoice.
Friday December 18,2009; Living Nativity will be presented from 5.30PM to 7.30Pm at the Wesley United Methodist Premises, 1000 Day Hollow Road, Endicott. We will have live animals including the winsome Cast.
7.30PM. our weekly Television out reach on Time Warner cable Ch 4. I will be sharing from Isaiah 7.
8 PM The Handel's Messiah at the Forum, Binghamton
Saturday 10 AM we will be preparing meal at the First United Methodist Church , Endicott to share withe needy and the homeless.
5.30PM we will gather for Fish and Meat Dinner( Polish and Indian cuisine)
at Wesley UMc. We will go our caroling at 6.30PM , walking in the neighborhood, visiting and singing. We will be giving away Bibles as gifts to people living in the area.
Sunday December 20.
Worship Services 8.30 and 11.00 Our Choir will present the Christmas Cantata during both service. Sunday School will meet at 9.50AM . We will giving gifts all the children in the church family at 12.30 including reception for the children and the choir.
9.30AM Worship service at Wesley UMC.
Wednesday December 23.
6 PM. we will gather for a mega Christmas celebration withe special Christmas banquet... Feasting and praising. The songs of Christmas are Joyful and Triumphant.
December 24. Thursday.
Christmas Eve Candle light Communion services : 700 PM and 10.30PM
Come, Share and Rejoice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1vXATVF6I
Praise the Lord that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is the King of Nations. As we begin to celebrate the Birth of our Savior and Lord we are aware of the wars that are going on among the nations of the world. In the midst of the wars and rumors of wars we proclaim the birth of the Prince of Peace.
The following story appeared in newspapers nationwide on December 25, 1994 from the Associated Press, dateline London.
"Eighty years ago, on the first Christmas Day of World War I, British and German troops put down their guns and celebrated peacefully together in the no-man’s land between the trenches. The war, briefly, came to a halt. In some places, festivities began when German troops lit candles on Christmas trees on their parapets so the British sentries a few hundred yards away could see them.
"Elsewhere, the British acted first, starting bonfires and letting off rockets.
Pvt. Oswald Tilley of the London Rifle Brigade wrote to his parents: 'Just you think that while you were eating your turkey etc. I was out talking and shaking hands with the very men I had been trying to kill a few hours before! It was astounding.'
"Both armies had received lots of comforts from home and felt generous and well-disposed toward their enemies in the first winter of the war, before the vast battles of attrition began in 1915, eventually claiming ten million lives.
All along the line that Christmas Day, soldiers found their enemies were much like them and began asking why they should be trying to kill each other.
The generals were shocked. High Command diaries and statements express anxiety that if that sort of thing spread it could sap the troops’ will to fight.
The soldiers in khaki and gray sang carols to each other, exchanged gifts of tobacco, jam, sausage, chocolate and liquor, traded names and addresses and played soccer between the shell holes and barbed wire. They even paid mutual trench visits.
"This day is called 'the most famous truce in military history' by British television producer Malcolm Brown and researcher Shirley Seaton in their book 'Christmas Truce,' published in 1984."
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end."
Christ came to bring peace. Peace was the message that the angels proclaimed in Luke 2:8–14. "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'"
The Peace of Jesus is not the absence of trouble, but it is the presence of God in the midst of trouble. The vision of Isaiah is not simply a kind of peace that is imposed upon us. Rather, it fills the soul of each person and emanates outward. There is peace socially because each person is filled with compassion and meets the needs of those around them. The simple prayer attributed to St. Francis illustrates our deepest intentions.
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . .hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . .joy
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life .
Let there be pace on earth.
In Christ,
Brown
Praise the Lord for this season. I get excited about the Birth of our Lord and Savior. It is a great thrill to serve Him and worship Him. May He provoke us to go beyond our comfort zone as Mary did to obey Him and proclaim His glory in word and deed.
Pray for the Church around the world during this season as proclaim His birth .
Please pray for us and those who live in this area come and share and rejoice.
Friday December 18,2009; Living Nativity will be presented from 5.30PM to 7.30Pm at the Wesley United Methodist Premises, 1000 Day Hollow Road, Endicott. We will have live animals including the winsome Cast.
7.30PM. our weekly Television out reach on Time Warner cable Ch 4. I will be sharing from Isaiah 7.
8 PM The Handel's Messiah at the Forum, Binghamton
Saturday 10 AM we will be preparing meal at the First United Methodist Church , Endicott to share withe needy and the homeless.
5.30PM we will gather for Fish and Meat Dinner( Polish and Indian cuisine)
at Wesley UMc. We will go our caroling at 6.30PM , walking in the neighborhood, visiting and singing. We will be giving away Bibles as gifts to people living in the area.
Sunday December 20.
Worship Services 8.30 and 11.00 Our Choir will present the Christmas Cantata during both service. Sunday School will meet at 9.50AM . We will giving gifts all the children in the church family at 12.30 including reception for the children and the choir.
9.30AM Worship service at Wesley UMC.
Wednesday December 23.
6 PM. we will gather for a mega Christmas celebration withe special Christmas banquet... Feasting and praising. The songs of Christmas are Joyful and Triumphant.
December 24. Thursday.
Christmas Eve Candle light Communion services : 700 PM and 10.30PM
Come, Share and Rejoice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1vXATVF6I
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-16-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for Christmas, the best time of the year. Most of the world's popular music is full of sadness, loneliness, brokenness, and meaninglessness. The world's best music is that which glorifies the Savior. The best literature in the world magnifies Jesus, our Lord. The best of the world's art depicts the Savior and the wonders of His creation.
I love to listen to Handel's Messiah, especially in this season. We are going to attend the presentation of "Messiah" in Binghamton this Friday at 8:00 PM. It is to be presented by the Downtown Singers, accompanied by the Binghamton Philharmonic, with soloists from Tri-cities Opera. This is the 27th presentation of the Messiah by the Down Town Singers. The Downtown Singers were organized by one our colleagues, Rev. Hugh Miller.
It was in April, 1742 when George Frederick Handel premiered his oratorio THE MESSIAH in Dublin. The following year several performances were given in London, and King George II was present at one of them. When the King first heard “The Hallelujah Chorus,” he was so overwhelmed and inspired that, in homage to “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords”, he rose to his feet as a tribute of respect. Whenever a monarch stands, protocol demands all present must follow suit. Thus began the custom of the audience standing for the singing of “The Hallelujah Chorus,” in honor of Him Who is the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Under powerful, Spirit led inspiration, Handel composed his masterpiece in just 24 days. He knew it was God Almighty who had gifted him to create such a masterful piece of sacred music and told a friend that while composing it, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God Himself.”
Isaiah 9:6 is the basis for the chorus in THE MESSIAH “For Unto Us a Child Is Born.” Jesus is the Mighty God, the Lord God omnipotent who shall reign forever and ever.
Mighty God is the most potent, power-packed name given to our Messiah in Isaiah 9:6. In the original Hebrew the name is “Gibbor El.” When we examined the name Immanuel, we discovered that “El” is the most common term for deity in the Ancient World. Its root meaning is “strength or might.” Most often in the Hebrew Scriptures it refers to God Almighty, the one true God of Israel. When “El” is used for the One, True Living God, it is usually paired with another term so that it will not be mistaken for some pagan counterfeit. Thus for clarity Isaiah yokes “Gibbor” with “El.” The basic sense of the term “Gibbor” is strength, might, power, powerful.
In the Ancient World a king exemplified the power of his kingdom. As Commander-in-chief he would lead his troops in battle and it was imperative that he be a “mighty warrior.” Hebrew women praised David’s military might in I Samuel 18:6-17, “As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they made merry. They sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
This is the imagery and expectation behind the promise of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6; He would be “mighty” in similar fashion to His ancestor David. Our Mighty God is the most powerful Commander-in-chief.
Our Mighty God measures the waters of the oceans and seas “in the hollow of His hand.” A span is “the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.” What a testimony that is to the mighty, awesome, creative power of God the Son who created all things. “Astronomers tell us that the Milky Way, our Galaxy, contains more than 100 billion stars and that there may be as many as 100 billion other galaxies in the universe. They also believe that the billions of these galaxies have billions of stars with hundreds of millions of planets like our earth. And yet this awesome, humongous universe fits in the palm of its Creator’s hand.” The great Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard pointed out that our Mighty God is even more wonderful and powerful as our Redeemer than He is as our Creator. He stated, “God creates out of nothing. Wonderful, you say. Yes, to be sure, but He does what is still more wonderful: He makes saints out of sinners.” [SOURCE: Soren Kierkegaard, Leadership, Vol. 8, no. 4.].
You and I can trust the same Mighty God, Who holds His universe in the palm of His hand and makes saints out of sinners, to care for us.
In Jesus the Wonderful Councilor and the Mighty God,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IjqEs-f53Y
Praise the Lord for Christmas, the best time of the year. Most of the world's popular music is full of sadness, loneliness, brokenness, and meaninglessness. The world's best music is that which glorifies the Savior. The best literature in the world magnifies Jesus, our Lord. The best of the world's art depicts the Savior and the wonders of His creation.
I love to listen to Handel's Messiah, especially in this season. We are going to attend the presentation of "Messiah" in Binghamton this Friday at 8:00 PM. It is to be presented by the Downtown Singers, accompanied by the Binghamton Philharmonic, with soloists from Tri-cities Opera. This is the 27th presentation of the Messiah by the Down Town Singers. The Downtown Singers were organized by one our colleagues, Rev. Hugh Miller.
It was in April, 1742 when George Frederick Handel premiered his oratorio THE MESSIAH in Dublin. The following year several performances were given in London, and King George II was present at one of them. When the King first heard “The Hallelujah Chorus,” he was so overwhelmed and inspired that, in homage to “The King of Kings and Lord of Lords”, he rose to his feet as a tribute of respect. Whenever a monarch stands, protocol demands all present must follow suit. Thus began the custom of the audience standing for the singing of “The Hallelujah Chorus,” in honor of Him Who is the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Under powerful, Spirit led inspiration, Handel composed his masterpiece in just 24 days. He knew it was God Almighty who had gifted him to create such a masterful piece of sacred music and told a friend that while composing it, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God Himself.”
Isaiah 9:6 is the basis for the chorus in THE MESSIAH “For Unto Us a Child Is Born.” Jesus is the Mighty God, the Lord God omnipotent who shall reign forever and ever.
Mighty God is the most potent, power-packed name given to our Messiah in Isaiah 9:6. In the original Hebrew the name is “Gibbor El.” When we examined the name Immanuel, we discovered that “El” is the most common term for deity in the Ancient World. Its root meaning is “strength or might.” Most often in the Hebrew Scriptures it refers to God Almighty, the one true God of Israel. When “El” is used for the One, True Living God, it is usually paired with another term so that it will not be mistaken for some pagan counterfeit. Thus for clarity Isaiah yokes “Gibbor” with “El.” The basic sense of the term “Gibbor” is strength, might, power, powerful.
In the Ancient World a king exemplified the power of his kingdom. As Commander-in-chief he would lead his troops in battle and it was imperative that he be a “mighty warrior.” Hebrew women praised David’s military might in I Samuel 18:6-17, “As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they made merry. They sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
This is the imagery and expectation behind the promise of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6; He would be “mighty” in similar fashion to His ancestor David. Our Mighty God is the most powerful Commander-in-chief.
Our Mighty God measures the waters of the oceans and seas “in the hollow of His hand.” A span is “the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended.” What a testimony that is to the mighty, awesome, creative power of God the Son who created all things. “Astronomers tell us that the Milky Way, our Galaxy, contains more than 100 billion stars and that there may be as many as 100 billion other galaxies in the universe. They also believe that the billions of these galaxies have billions of stars with hundreds of millions of planets like our earth. And yet this awesome, humongous universe fits in the palm of its Creator’s hand.” The great Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard pointed out that our Mighty God is even more wonderful and powerful as our Redeemer than He is as our Creator. He stated, “God creates out of nothing. Wonderful, you say. Yes, to be sure, but He does what is still more wonderful: He makes saints out of sinners.” [SOURCE: Soren Kierkegaard, Leadership, Vol. 8, no. 4.].
You and I can trust the same Mighty God, Who holds His universe in the palm of His hand and makes saints out of sinners, to care for us.
In Jesus the Wonderful Councilor and the Mighty God,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IjqEs-f53Y
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-15-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He is the Lord of Joy. One of the foundational truths of the Christian faith is Joy. It is an invitation to come to Jesus and experience the Joy that He alone offers. The children of our church presented a Christmas pageant yesterday. It was celebrative and festive. Praise the Lord for the children, who have the capacity for wonder and awe. No wonder our Lord said that until we become like children we can not enter the Kingdom of God.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Zephaniah, one of the twelve minor prophets. It was from Zephaniah 3:14 ff. As we read the minor prophets we read about God's judgement on rebellion, on idolatry, on unbelief, on greed and exploitation, and on injustice. It is very beautiful to ponder and to know that the judgment of our Holy and righteous God is always tempered with mercy and grace. The same theme is reverberated in Isaiah 40:1-5, where we read, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
The underlying tone of Zephaniah 3:14 is thunderous and triumphant. It reveals a holy imperative, as it calls upon the Lord's people to sing, to shout, and to rejoice, for the Lord has taken away their judgment. The people and the culture who have rejected Christ live under condemnation and judgment. We see universally, in the Christless culture, a deep sense of chaos, confusion, condemnation, dread, and fear. The self-help books that are abundant on our bookshelves cannot remove condemnation or bring about peace or reconciliation. We need divine intervention. We need holy power beyond ourselves. This is the miracle of Christmas - God descending to our level in Jesus Christ, to remove judgment, destroy the works of darkness, and shed abroad in our hearts His light, His grace, and His peace.
In Zephaniah 3:17 we read, "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty." We can know the Lord God, the maker of Heaven and earth, personally, in and through Jesus Christ. It is written, "The Lord God, who is in our midst, is mighty to save." Zephaniah continues, "He will rejoice over us with joy. He will rest in His love. He will joy over thee with singing."
Without the Lord, there is so much grief, sadness, pain, hopelessness, and despair in the world. Much of the world's music (without Christ) deals with loneliness, violence, brokenness, betrayal, and alienation. Christ came, and the angels declared on Christmas day the good news of great joy. May the Christ of Christmas infuse us with His joy - the joy that the world doesn't know and that the world cannot take away. As we live our lives today, might we become His dispensers of joy to the people with whom we come in contact, that those who walk in darkness and dwell in the shadows of doubt and death, mike make the journey to Jesus and experience His joy and His grace.
THE JOURNEY OF JOY IS MARKED BY God WITH US (VV. 15 & 16). The presence of God brings Joy, which does not come from our circumstances. It is, rather, vested in the grace and benevolence of God. The same God who is Israel’s judge is also Israel’s lover and partner in covenant. His presence removes fear and dread. His perfect love casts out all fear. (I John. 4:18)
In His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chsky1nrkqI
Praise the Lord for the way He is the Lord of Joy. One of the foundational truths of the Christian faith is Joy. It is an invitation to come to Jesus and experience the Joy that He alone offers. The children of our church presented a Christmas pageant yesterday. It was celebrative and festive. Praise the Lord for the children, who have the capacity for wonder and awe. No wonder our Lord said that until we become like children we can not enter the Kingdom of God.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Zephaniah, one of the twelve minor prophets. It was from Zephaniah 3:14 ff. As we read the minor prophets we read about God's judgement on rebellion, on idolatry, on unbelief, on greed and exploitation, and on injustice. It is very beautiful to ponder and to know that the judgment of our Holy and righteous God is always tempered with mercy and grace. The same theme is reverberated in Isaiah 40:1-5, where we read, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
The underlying tone of Zephaniah 3:14 is thunderous and triumphant. It reveals a holy imperative, as it calls upon the Lord's people to sing, to shout, and to rejoice, for the Lord has taken away their judgment. The people and the culture who have rejected Christ live under condemnation and judgment. We see universally, in the Christless culture, a deep sense of chaos, confusion, condemnation, dread, and fear. The self-help books that are abundant on our bookshelves cannot remove condemnation or bring about peace or reconciliation. We need divine intervention. We need holy power beyond ourselves. This is the miracle of Christmas - God descending to our level in Jesus Christ, to remove judgment, destroy the works of darkness, and shed abroad in our hearts His light, His grace, and His peace.
In Zephaniah 3:17 we read, "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty." We can know the Lord God, the maker of Heaven and earth, personally, in and through Jesus Christ. It is written, "The Lord God, who is in our midst, is mighty to save." Zephaniah continues, "He will rejoice over us with joy. He will rest in His love. He will joy over thee with singing."
Without the Lord, there is so much grief, sadness, pain, hopelessness, and despair in the world. Much of the world's music (without Christ) deals with loneliness, violence, brokenness, betrayal, and alienation. Christ came, and the angels declared on Christmas day the good news of great joy. May the Christ of Christmas infuse us with His joy - the joy that the world doesn't know and that the world cannot take away. As we live our lives today, might we become His dispensers of joy to the people with whom we come in contact, that those who walk in darkness and dwell in the shadows of doubt and death, mike make the journey to Jesus and experience His joy and His grace.
THE JOURNEY OF JOY IS MARKED BY God WITH US (VV. 15 & 16). The presence of God brings Joy, which does not come from our circumstances. It is, rather, vested in the grace and benevolence of God. The same God who is Israel’s judge is also Israel’s lover and partner in covenant. His presence removes fear and dread. His perfect love casts out all fear. (I John. 4:18)
In His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chsky1nrkqI
Friday, December 11, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-11-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He has created us, redeemed us, and set us in this world as people of purpose. He has also provided every blessing we need to fulfill our purpose and enjoy Him all of the days of our lives. Every aspect of our lives is a gift from God, from life itself to the air we breathe to the relationships we enjoy to the health we are experiencing to the beauty of His creation. God’s grace is truly amazing! God’s grace is a constant reminder of His love for you and for me.
As we prepare to celebrate Advent, and Christmas, I would like to bring before you in prayer the need of suffering Christians in Orissa, India. It has been over year since violence and persecution broke out against defenseless and innocent Christians in Phulbani, Orissa, India. Over 100 Christians were murdered. 70,000 Christians were made homeless and refugees. My mom, my brother Patel (who was jailed for 13 months), and his two children lost the house and everything that they owned. The house and the farm had been in the family for generations, but after they were forced out, they could not cultivate the fields. Remarkably, there are still 15 girls living in the children's home.
Sunita visited the area during her recent visit to Orissa, India. She also visited the village. There are currently two refugee camps where thousands of people are still living in tents. Sunita visited one of the camps. We would like to bless the people who are still living in the tents. They will be celebrating their second Christmas in the tents. I would like to invite to share in the ministry of sharing and caring. If you are being led by the Lord please make a check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, making a note on the memo line, for the Orissa Project, and mail to:
Union Center United Methodist Church
128 Maple Drive
Endicott, New York 13760
Whatever the amount you give will be a huge blessing to the our brothers and sisters in Orissa, India.
We will send the gifts in their entirety to bless the children in the Children's home, to bless some pastors who are serving the Lord under a great threat, and also to 175 nursing students and the staff ay the Moorshead Memorial Christian Hospital, and also give food and some winter clothing to the people who are still living in the refugee centers. Thank you for sharing and caring and participating in making a difference and bringing joy to many.
As we ponder the joy of giving, let us reflect on 2 Corinthians 8:1 ff.
"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us - see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7 NIV)
Paul said that it was God’s grace shed upon the church in Macedonia that enabled them to give, joyfully give, even in an extremely difficult situation. What set the Macedonian church apart from so many other churches in Paul’s day and ours is that they were willing to allow God’s grace to flow through them and be turned into action.
There is something that jumps out at me as I study 2 Corinthians 8:1-2. In the midst of the Macedonians extreme poverty and severe trial you find that they possessed overflowing joy.
In Jesus the diffuser of His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO_bKR2Wzhk
Praise the Lord for the season of miracles and wonders. I have been reading the prophecies regarding the birth of our Lord and Savior. I have also been reading the record of our Lord's birth and the wonder and marvel that surround His birth. My wife loves Christmas and everything about it, including shopping. She shops carefully for our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, as well as for the needy in our family circle and beyond. She also makes many hand-made gifts and presents. She loves to decorate the house with multitude Christmas trees. The trees are numbering in to 30's by the time of Christmas Eve (only if you count all the little ones 1' or shorter - and those in the village house scene). She loves to listen Christmas carols and sings along like Karaoke. Our Granddaughter, who is 4, is also very excited about Christmas. I strive to gaze at Christmas through her eyes.
My wife also loves the Narnia stories. She repeatedly reads the books, reacquainting herself with the characters in much the same way that you and I rekindle old friendships. She also repeatedly watches the Narnia movies and listens to the audio theater stories on CD. As you know, Narnia stories are told as children’s tales, because children still have a capacity for wonder and imagination - a capacity to get to the real truth about things by a different route than the logic of the adult world. Yet, the books also capture the minds of adults, and draw them into the deeper truths contained therein.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" points us to deeper truths and more important realities than merely the magic of a wardrobe that tumbles us into fairyland. Narnia represents the Kingdom of God, just on the other side of our ordinary world. The battle between the White Witch and Aslan is the primeval battle between good and evil, between God and the devil, in which we all – represented here by Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan – are involved. Peter becomes the rock in battle. Edmund, although redeemed, is the Judas figure. Aslan’s self-offering and death to redeem a fallen race refers us to Christ's redemptive sacrifice. The rising of Aslan, the battle, and the conquest of the White Witch are a retelling of the story of Jesus.
The story is told in this Narnia way for children because adults have squeezed all the imagination out of it and made the story of Jesus into a series of formulae and creeds and dos and don’ts. In the Gospel according to John, Twice the phrase, “Come and see”occurs, once used by Jesus himself and once by Philip, one of his disciples. "Come and see" is one of the golden threads of John’s gospel. It recurs time and again as Jesus desperately tries to stimulate the imagination and the wonder and the insight of people who cannot see beyond the end of their nose, beyond this week’s agenda, beyond personal ambition and self-interest. “Come and see” and “follow me” are not invitations to be prosaically Christian in a kind of conventional, boring, middle-class way. It is a call to adventure, to risk, and to new possibility. It’s an invitation, as it were, to "climb into a wardrobe" and see the kingdom of heaven opening up before us.
" Come and See".
In Jesus ,
Brown
Praise the Lord for the way He has created us, redeemed us, and set us in this world as people of purpose. He has also provided every blessing we need to fulfill our purpose and enjoy Him all of the days of our lives. Every aspect of our lives is a gift from God, from life itself to the air we breathe to the relationships we enjoy to the health we are experiencing to the beauty of His creation. God’s grace is truly amazing! God’s grace is a constant reminder of His love for you and for me.
As we prepare to celebrate Advent, and Christmas, I would like to bring before you in prayer the need of suffering Christians in Orissa, India. It has been over year since violence and persecution broke out against defenseless and innocent Christians in Phulbani, Orissa, India. Over 100 Christians were murdered. 70,000 Christians were made homeless and refugees. My mom, my brother Patel (who was jailed for 13 months), and his two children lost the house and everything that they owned. The house and the farm had been in the family for generations, but after they were forced out, they could not cultivate the fields. Remarkably, there are still 15 girls living in the children's home.
Sunita visited the area during her recent visit to Orissa, India. She also visited the village. There are currently two refugee camps where thousands of people are still living in tents. Sunita visited one of the camps. We would like to bless the people who are still living in the tents. They will be celebrating their second Christmas in the tents. I would like to invite to share in the ministry of sharing and caring. If you are being led by the Lord please make a check payable to Union Center United Methodist Church, making a note on the memo line, for the Orissa Project, and mail to:
Union Center United Methodist Church
128 Maple Drive
Endicott, New York 13760
Whatever the amount you give will be a huge blessing to the our brothers and sisters in Orissa, India.
We will send the gifts in their entirety to bless the children in the Children's home, to bless some pastors who are serving the Lord under a great threat, and also to 175 nursing students and the staff ay the Moorshead Memorial Christian Hospital, and also give food and some winter clothing to the people who are still living in the refugee centers. Thank you for sharing and caring and participating in making a difference and bringing joy to many.
As we ponder the joy of giving, let us reflect on 2 Corinthians 8:1 ff.
"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us - see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7 NIV)
Paul said that it was God’s grace shed upon the church in Macedonia that enabled them to give, joyfully give, even in an extremely difficult situation. What set the Macedonian church apart from so many other churches in Paul’s day and ours is that they were willing to allow God’s grace to flow through them and be turned into action.
There is something that jumps out at me as I study 2 Corinthians 8:1-2. In the midst of the Macedonians extreme poverty and severe trial you find that they possessed overflowing joy.
In Jesus the diffuser of His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO_bKR2Wzhk
Praise the Lord for the season of miracles and wonders. I have been reading the prophecies regarding the birth of our Lord and Savior. I have also been reading the record of our Lord's birth and the wonder and marvel that surround His birth. My wife loves Christmas and everything about it, including shopping. She shops carefully for our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, as well as for the needy in our family circle and beyond. She also makes many hand-made gifts and presents. She loves to decorate the house with multitude Christmas trees. The trees are numbering in to 30's by the time of Christmas Eve (only if you count all the little ones 1' or shorter - and those in the village house scene). She loves to listen Christmas carols and sings along like Karaoke. Our Granddaughter, who is 4, is also very excited about Christmas. I strive to gaze at Christmas through her eyes.
My wife also loves the Narnia stories. She repeatedly reads the books, reacquainting herself with the characters in much the same way that you and I rekindle old friendships. She also repeatedly watches the Narnia movies and listens to the audio theater stories on CD. As you know, Narnia stories are told as children’s tales, because children still have a capacity for wonder and imagination - a capacity to get to the real truth about things by a different route than the logic of the adult world. Yet, the books also capture the minds of adults, and draw them into the deeper truths contained therein.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" points us to deeper truths and more important realities than merely the magic of a wardrobe that tumbles us into fairyland. Narnia represents the Kingdom of God, just on the other side of our ordinary world. The battle between the White Witch and Aslan is the primeval battle between good and evil, between God and the devil, in which we all – represented here by Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan – are involved. Peter becomes the rock in battle. Edmund, although redeemed, is the Judas figure. Aslan’s self-offering and death to redeem a fallen race refers us to Christ's redemptive sacrifice. The rising of Aslan, the battle, and the conquest of the White Witch are a retelling of the story of Jesus.
The story is told in this Narnia way for children because adults have squeezed all the imagination out of it and made the story of Jesus into a series of formulae and creeds and dos and don’ts. In the Gospel according to John, Twice the phrase, “Come and see”occurs, once used by Jesus himself and once by Philip, one of his disciples. "Come and see" is one of the golden threads of John’s gospel. It recurs time and again as Jesus desperately tries to stimulate the imagination and the wonder and the insight of people who cannot see beyond the end of their nose, beyond this week’s agenda, beyond personal ambition and self-interest. “Come and see” and “follow me” are not invitations to be prosaically Christian in a kind of conventional, boring, middle-class way. It is a call to adventure, to risk, and to new possibility. It’s an invitation, as it were, to "climb into a wardrobe" and see the kingdom of heaven opening up before us.
" Come and See".
In Jesus ,
Brown
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-10-09
Good morning,
We had some fresh snow yesterday, closing area schools due to poor driving conditions. My wife had a two hour day, and managed to fill those two hours to the max. We had a very blessed Wednesday mid-week service of study and fellowship. Yesterday, as I was driving around the area, I was thinking about how the roads are getting crowded and congested. It is amazing to think that the birth of a baby in over two thousand years ago in a messy , mundane manger causes traffic jams in the cities of the world where Christ's birth is celebrated. The city sidewalks are busy sidewalks filled with Christmas shoppers. The parking lots are full. The stores are crowded with people, people and more people. Each one is on a mission. Many are in a hurry, even running. Some are bumping into one another.
The city of Jerusalem could have been said to have some busy walkways around 735 B.C. It was a thriving city – well populated – the capital of the nation of Judah – and led by a king from the family line of the great King David. This current king’s name was Ahaz. Ahaz, however, was not a good man. The book of 2 Kings says that Ahaz worshipped idols, and even sacrificed his own son in the fire. If the kings from the family of David were ever expected to produce the perfect king or usher in the golden age, they had failed miserably in Ahaz.
Looking at the story in Isaiah 7, we find that the political situation surrounding Jerusalem was becoming volatile. The nearby countries of Syria and Israel had formed an alliance and sought to conquer Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to Ahaz. God’s message to the people was, "Do not be afraid. You will not be defeated." And then in rather uncharacteristic fashion, God said to Ahaz through Isaiah (v. 10), “Ahaz, ask me for a sign.”
Ahaz responded (v. 12), “No, I won’t put God to the test.” Those are pious sounding words, that really were saying, “No, I won’t believe God.”
Isaiah 7:14… Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Regardless of what Ahaz said or did, the Lord was going to give a sign. God Himself was going to intervene in human history, and it was going to be more than anyone could have ever expected because the significance of the sign went far beyond the situational context of Jerusalem. God’s sign would be miraculous. A virgin would conceive. Matthew 1:22-23 shows us that this promise refers directly to Mary. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son…
Did the world sit up and take notice when the virgin was with child? Was all focus on Joseph and Mary the night Jesus was born, or was everyone going about their business, or busyness, as the case may be? Ken Gire speculated by saying, “Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state, there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel and a furtive scurry of barn mice.” (from Intimate Moments With the Savior)
I don’t think it was any coincidence that the inn was full that night in Bethlehem. It is recorded in Scripture that the inn was full because a census was being taken and everyone had to return to the home town of their family line. The city was literally full of people, filled with the lonely, the hurting, and the ones with misplaced priorities. There were people, people, and more people. Yet, God’s long awaited sign was largely overlooked by the crowds of the city. It was truly miraculous – a virgin conception and a virgin birth.
A baby boy was born in that crowded town, named Immanuel, which means “God with us”. The implication is clear that God was not choosing separation or distance from mankind, but “God with us.” While this was not Jesus’ proper name, it was a name that belonged to him as an attribute. This is who He is. From the point of this miraculous birth onward, God would himself be present among His people.
John 1:14 says, "So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." The sign, given by God to Isaiah, was truly for all people. Quite miraculously, that baby boy would have the power to free us from our meaningless, quiet lives of desperation. A baby boy was given as a gift to us.
God has sent his son Jesus Christ to you and to me. He’s given us this miraculous baby boy.
Are your lives noticeably different because of this baby? Has this baby affected our work, our schedule, our home, our lives? Has this baby influenced our attitude, our love, our giving, our service?
According to a legend Satan and his demons had a Christmas party. As the demonic guests were departing, one grinned and said to Satan, “Merry Christmas, your majesty.” At that Satan replied with a growl, “Yes, keep it merry. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble.” Well, let us get serious about Christmas. It is the birth of the Baby, sent from God to dwell among us and to dwell within us. It is the coming of God. It is the intervention of God’s presence among men and women. (From The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Charles R. Swindoll, p. 82)
For the busy and directionless Christ gives direction.
For the busy and striving He offers grace.
For the busy and tired, there is rest.
For the busy and battle scarred He gives peace.
For all of us who trust in Him, He is and forever shall be, the Savior and the Lord
We need Him. I need Him. You need Him. We all need Him. And his name is Immanuel – God with us.
In Jesus our Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbLInB6El68
We had some fresh snow yesterday, closing area schools due to poor driving conditions. My wife had a two hour day, and managed to fill those two hours to the max. We had a very blessed Wednesday mid-week service of study and fellowship. Yesterday, as I was driving around the area, I was thinking about how the roads are getting crowded and congested. It is amazing to think that the birth of a baby in over two thousand years ago in a messy , mundane manger causes traffic jams in the cities of the world where Christ's birth is celebrated. The city sidewalks are busy sidewalks filled with Christmas shoppers. The parking lots are full. The stores are crowded with people, people and more people. Each one is on a mission. Many are in a hurry, even running. Some are bumping into one another.
The city of Jerusalem could have been said to have some busy walkways around 735 B.C. It was a thriving city – well populated – the capital of the nation of Judah – and led by a king from the family line of the great King David. This current king’s name was Ahaz. Ahaz, however, was not a good man. The book of 2 Kings says that Ahaz worshipped idols, and even sacrificed his own son in the fire. If the kings from the family of David were ever expected to produce the perfect king or usher in the golden age, they had failed miserably in Ahaz.
Looking at the story in Isaiah 7, we find that the political situation surrounding Jerusalem was becoming volatile. The nearby countries of Syria and Israel had formed an alliance and sought to conquer Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to Ahaz. God’s message to the people was, "Do not be afraid. You will not be defeated." And then in rather uncharacteristic fashion, God said to Ahaz through Isaiah (v. 10), “Ahaz, ask me for a sign.”
Ahaz responded (v. 12), “No, I won’t put God to the test.” Those are pious sounding words, that really were saying, “No, I won’t believe God.”
Isaiah 7:14… Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Regardless of what Ahaz said or did, the Lord was going to give a sign. God Himself was going to intervene in human history, and it was going to be more than anyone could have ever expected because the significance of the sign went far beyond the situational context of Jerusalem. God’s sign would be miraculous. A virgin would conceive. Matthew 1:22-23 shows us that this promise refers directly to Mary. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son…
Did the world sit up and take notice when the virgin was with child? Was all focus on Joseph and Mary the night Jesus was born, or was everyone going about their business, or busyness, as the case may be? Ken Gire speculated by saying, “Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state, there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel and a furtive scurry of barn mice.” (from Intimate Moments With the Savior)
I don’t think it was any coincidence that the inn was full that night in Bethlehem. It is recorded in Scripture that the inn was full because a census was being taken and everyone had to return to the home town of their family line. The city was literally full of people, filled with the lonely, the hurting, and the ones with misplaced priorities. There were people, people, and more people. Yet, God’s long awaited sign was largely overlooked by the crowds of the city. It was truly miraculous – a virgin conception and a virgin birth.
A baby boy was born in that crowded town, named Immanuel, which means “God with us”. The implication is clear that God was not choosing separation or distance from mankind, but “God with us.” While this was not Jesus’ proper name, it was a name that belonged to him as an attribute. This is who He is. From the point of this miraculous birth onward, God would himself be present among His people.
John 1:14 says, "So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." The sign, given by God to Isaiah, was truly for all people. Quite miraculously, that baby boy would have the power to free us from our meaningless, quiet lives of desperation. A baby boy was given as a gift to us.
God has sent his son Jesus Christ to you and to me. He’s given us this miraculous baby boy.
Are your lives noticeably different because of this baby? Has this baby affected our work, our schedule, our home, our lives? Has this baby influenced our attitude, our love, our giving, our service?
According to a legend Satan and his demons had a Christmas party. As the demonic guests were departing, one grinned and said to Satan, “Merry Christmas, your majesty.” At that Satan replied with a growl, “Yes, keep it merry. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble.” Well, let us get serious about Christmas. It is the birth of the Baby, sent from God to dwell among us and to dwell within us. It is the coming of God. It is the intervention of God’s presence among men and women. (From The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Charles R. Swindoll, p. 82)
For the busy and directionless Christ gives direction.
For the busy and striving He offers grace.
For the busy and tired, there is rest.
For the busy and battle scarred He gives peace.
For all of us who trust in Him, He is and forever shall be, the Savior and the Lord
We need Him. I need Him. You need Him. We all need Him. And his name is Immanuel – God with us.
In Jesus our Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbLInB6El68
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-09-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord, for Jesus is the Christ of Christmas. I get excited about thinking about our Lord and serving Him with Joy. Indeed, He infuses us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Without Christ the world is full of vanity.
Many world leaders are gathered in Copenhagen for the Summit on Global Warming. Many of them are confused and self-seeking. Without Christ every culture is in a crisis, subject to decadence and depravity. However, as Christians we serve a Savior who brings peace with all Creation (Isaiah 11.6-9). It is His nature and His desire to bring order to a culture and blessings to a nation.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul noted that even the created world was affected by the fall of mankind, and that it, too, will be returned to peace and wholeness by Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:20-21, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Isaac Watts sang it this way: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” Even weeds are redeemed by Jesus.
Isaiah illustrates the same. The wolf and lamb will be friends; the leopard will sleep beside a goat and not eat it. Bears will no longer threaten the cattle and mothers will no longer scream when they see a cobra wrapping itself around their infant child. Peace of this scope and nature is seen as a pervasive reconciliation seeping into every pore of the universe. Such is the extent of the power and work of Messiah. His new creation restores the harmony and happiness that once characterized Eden.
Matthew Henry noted how these words apply to us, when he said, “The old complaint that man is a wolf to man, shall be at an end. Those that inhabit the holy mountain shall live as amicably as the creatures did that were with Noah in the ark…. This is fulfilled in the wonderful effect of the gospel upon the minds of those that sincerely embrace it; it changes the nature, and makes those that trampled on the meek of the earth, not only meek like them, but affectionate towards them…. Some are willing to hope it shall yet have a further accomplishment in the latter days, when swords shall be beaten into plough shares. What shall be the effect, and what the cause, of this wonderful softening and sweetening of men’s tempers by the grace of God?
The effect of it is that people shall be tractable, and willing to receive instruction. A little child shall lead those who formerly scorned to be controlled by the strongest man. Calvin understood it in terms of their willing submission to the ministers of Christ, who are to instruct with meekness and not to use any coercive power, but to be as little children. (Matt. 18:3, 2 Corinthians 8: 5. The cause of it shall be the knowledge of God. The more there is of that the more there is of a disposition to peace. They shall thus live in love, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, which shall extinguish men’s heats and animosities. The better acquainted we are with the God of love the more shall we be changed into the same image and the better affected shall we be to all those that bear his image.” The more we know God and his Messiah, the better this peace will characterize our relations one with another,
Further, peace with creation marks those who know Jesus. It is to our shame that we read our Bibles and claim to know when God made the world and how long it took him, but we know little of protecting and caring for the world. Environmentalists have carried the day, though their devotion to “mother earth” is idolatry, and the alarms about world overpopulation are often as surely an attack on children as were the Israelites’ offering their sons and daughters to pagan gods.
We Follow A Messiah Who Brings Peace with All People (Isaiah 11.10-16). In these verses, God tells Israel and Judah that though they have been punished, they will be restored. As a result, they will no longer hate each other; jealousy shall depart. They will not squabble and fight like selfish brother and sister; they will be best friends, but bosom buddies. Nor will peace between people be limited to a few tribes of Jews. In Isaiah 2 we find that all the nations will come together at the house of the Lord, so that God can teach us his ways and cause us to walk in his paths.
All reconciliation begins at the cross. Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12.32). Jesus creates peace between those who are his followers.
God gave us the “ministry and message of reconciliation because he is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” (1 Corinthians 5.18-19). “He makes us one, breaking down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2.14-16).
The story is told of a pastor, new to a city, who wanted to establish a chaplain ministry involving mercy and compassion. He went to the local mental hospital to see if he might pray and counsel with the people. One section of the hospital was separate, blocked off because the people there were dangerous. The pastor asked if he could serve in that section. He was led to the section, but was shocked to find there only three guards watching over hundreds of "dangerous" patients. He asked his guide, “Don’t you fear that this people will get together, overpower the guards, and escape?” The reply was: “No, not really, lunatics never unite.”
We Follow A Messiah Who Brings Peace with God (Isaiah 12.1-6) When Isaiah looked out at the congregation to whom he preached, he saw a sinful people, a fearful people, and a sorrowful people.
1) They were sinful, and God’s curse lay heavily upon them. Each day brought the new conviction that their lives were inconsistent with their profession; each failure increased the grief they felt and the guilt they carried.
2) They were afraid, for they could not help themselves. The world, the flesh, and the devil were against them. They had made God their enemy—and no power can restrain his anger.
3) They were sorrowful. I have taken dozens of counseling training courses from many different teachers and a variety of theological and philosophical perspectives. One message is consistent through all—when people lose hope that life can change and improve, depression follows and we quit trying. Judah’s doom had been sealed; only debilitating dread remained.
Our God, as revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ, solves their every problem.
1) God redeems from the curse and makes his own a holy people.
2) God reconciles enemies, restoring friendship.
3) God rejoices the heart, by promising a future of hope and happiness.
He is active in the world today, beckoning people to Him, restoring lives and filling them with His joy.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rw3RLv9AY
Praise the Lord, for Jesus is the Christ of Christmas. I get excited about thinking about our Lord and serving Him with Joy. Indeed, He infuses us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Without Christ the world is full of vanity.
Many world leaders are gathered in Copenhagen for the Summit on Global Warming. Many of them are confused and self-seeking. Without Christ every culture is in a crisis, subject to decadence and depravity. However, as Christians we serve a Savior who brings peace with all Creation (Isaiah 11.6-9). It is His nature and His desire to bring order to a culture and blessings to a nation.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul noted that even the created world was affected by the fall of mankind, and that it, too, will be returned to peace and wholeness by Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:20-21, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Isaac Watts sang it this way: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” Even weeds are redeemed by Jesus.
Isaiah illustrates the same. The wolf and lamb will be friends; the leopard will sleep beside a goat and not eat it. Bears will no longer threaten the cattle and mothers will no longer scream when they see a cobra wrapping itself around their infant child. Peace of this scope and nature is seen as a pervasive reconciliation seeping into every pore of the universe. Such is the extent of the power and work of Messiah. His new creation restores the harmony and happiness that once characterized Eden.
Matthew Henry noted how these words apply to us, when he said, “The old complaint that man is a wolf to man, shall be at an end. Those that inhabit the holy mountain shall live as amicably as the creatures did that were with Noah in the ark…. This is fulfilled in the wonderful effect of the gospel upon the minds of those that sincerely embrace it; it changes the nature, and makes those that trampled on the meek of the earth, not only meek like them, but affectionate towards them…. Some are willing to hope it shall yet have a further accomplishment in the latter days, when swords shall be beaten into plough shares. What shall be the effect, and what the cause, of this wonderful softening and sweetening of men’s tempers by the grace of God?
The effect of it is that people shall be tractable, and willing to receive instruction. A little child shall lead those who formerly scorned to be controlled by the strongest man. Calvin understood it in terms of their willing submission to the ministers of Christ, who are to instruct with meekness and not to use any coercive power, but to be as little children. (Matt. 18:3, 2 Corinthians 8: 5. The cause of it shall be the knowledge of God. The more there is of that the more there is of a disposition to peace. They shall thus live in love, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, which shall extinguish men’s heats and animosities. The better acquainted we are with the God of love the more shall we be changed into the same image and the better affected shall we be to all those that bear his image.” The more we know God and his Messiah, the better this peace will characterize our relations one with another,
Further, peace with creation marks those who know Jesus. It is to our shame that we read our Bibles and claim to know when God made the world and how long it took him, but we know little of protecting and caring for the world. Environmentalists have carried the day, though their devotion to “mother earth” is idolatry, and the alarms about world overpopulation are often as surely an attack on children as were the Israelites’ offering their sons and daughters to pagan gods.
We Follow A Messiah Who Brings Peace with All People (Isaiah 11.10-16). In these verses, God tells Israel and Judah that though they have been punished, they will be restored. As a result, they will no longer hate each other; jealousy shall depart. They will not squabble and fight like selfish brother and sister; they will be best friends, but bosom buddies. Nor will peace between people be limited to a few tribes of Jews. In Isaiah 2 we find that all the nations will come together at the house of the Lord, so that God can teach us his ways and cause us to walk in his paths.
All reconciliation begins at the cross. Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12.32). Jesus creates peace between those who are his followers.
God gave us the “ministry and message of reconciliation because he is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” (1 Corinthians 5.18-19). “He makes us one, breaking down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2.14-16).
The story is told of a pastor, new to a city, who wanted to establish a chaplain ministry involving mercy and compassion. He went to the local mental hospital to see if he might pray and counsel with the people. One section of the hospital was separate, blocked off because the people there were dangerous. The pastor asked if he could serve in that section. He was led to the section, but was shocked to find there only three guards watching over hundreds of "dangerous" patients. He asked his guide, “Don’t you fear that this people will get together, overpower the guards, and escape?” The reply was: “No, not really, lunatics never unite.”
We Follow A Messiah Who Brings Peace with God (Isaiah 12.1-6) When Isaiah looked out at the congregation to whom he preached, he saw a sinful people, a fearful people, and a sorrowful people.
1) They were sinful, and God’s curse lay heavily upon them. Each day brought the new conviction that their lives were inconsistent with their profession; each failure increased the grief they felt and the guilt they carried.
2) They were afraid, for they could not help themselves. The world, the flesh, and the devil were against them. They had made God their enemy—and no power can restrain his anger.
3) They were sorrowful. I have taken dozens of counseling training courses from many different teachers and a variety of theological and philosophical perspectives. One message is consistent through all—when people lose hope that life can change and improve, depression follows and we quit trying. Judah’s doom had been sealed; only debilitating dread remained.
Our God, as revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ, solves their every problem.
1) God redeems from the curse and makes his own a holy people.
2) God reconciles enemies, restoring friendship.
3) God rejoices the heart, by promising a future of hope and happiness.
He is active in the world today, beckoning people to Him, restoring lives and filling them with His joy.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rw3RLv9AY
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-08-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Holy season, the season of Advent. It is the season of our Lord's visitation in humility and mercy and grace. His visit has made the heaven and earth difference in the lives of those who have welcomed Him in to their hearts and lives.
Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian told the following story. A prince wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days, he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But he had a problem. How would he seek her hand? He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.
This is the story of Advent, our God coming down to us, to live with us, and to win us, not by his power, but through HIS great LOVE! Advent is the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child. For Isaiah, the Prophet, Advent was a time of prayer. He was hungry to see his God COME DOWN! Too long had the people waited on their God. Impatience was the emotion of the day. Isaiah would go from wanting to see God’s National Power to seeing God’s personal power!
Isaiah 64:1, 2: “Oh, that you world rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you.” In other words, Isaiah called out to God and prayed, “Come down here and show this world and all our oppressors just who you are!!”
Verses 3 and 4 continue: “For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” OUR GOD IS ALL POWERFUL AND CAN DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS PEOPLE!
Come Lord Jesus,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6yevmluq2M
Praise the Lord for this Holy season, the season of Advent. It is the season of our Lord's visitation in humility and mercy and grace. His visit has made the heaven and earth difference in the lives of those who have welcomed Him in to their hearts and lives.
Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian told the following story. A prince wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days, he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But he had a problem. How would he seek her hand? He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.
This is the story of Advent, our God coming down to us, to live with us, and to win us, not by his power, but through HIS great LOVE! Advent is the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child. For Isaiah, the Prophet, Advent was a time of prayer. He was hungry to see his God COME DOWN! Too long had the people waited on their God. Impatience was the emotion of the day. Isaiah would go from wanting to see God’s National Power to seeing God’s personal power!
Isaiah 64:1, 2: “Oh, that you world rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you.” In other words, Isaiah called out to God and prayed, “Come down here and show this world and all our oppressors just who you are!!”
Verses 3 and 4 continue: “For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” OUR GOD IS ALL POWERFUL AND CAN DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS PEOPLE!
Come Lord Jesus,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6yevmluq2M
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