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
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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
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