Brown's Daily Word 12-10-07

Good Morning,

Praise the Lord for the life that the Lord of life offers to us. Praise the Lord for the way that we can worship Him as our Lord and Savior. I love the Advent season as we journey to Bethlehem through the pathways of prophecies of the Old Testament. Our youth led the service yesterday. The Lord blessed us through their testimony and presentation. The Old Testament reading for yesterday was taken from Isaiah 11. We share the sorrow and grief of the families and loved ones of those who have been killed in Church settings on Lord's Day, by acts of random and reckless violence. Yet, we will keep on worshipping the Lord grace and forgiveness. We will continue to declare that our Lord reigns.

The time is darker now, the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer. "Watchman, what of the night?" The time of Advent brings the assurance that although the ax is laid to the root of the tree, as John so forcefully stated, yet the promise of God is not destroyed. "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:1-3)

This is a powerful word of hope as the light continues to recede; it provides an awareness that God's plan and purpose is not negated by our sinfulness, that the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world is no afterthought; rather "He was destined before the foundation of the world..." (I Peter 1:20) and made manifest to us and all people in the Incarnation which we celebrate at the time of Christmas. This does not mean in any sense that God ignores our evil ways and disregards the "sin which clings so closely." (Hebrews 12:1) The fact is that God takes seriously the reality that so often we stray from the "paths of righteousness" and fall into misery and despair. Advent reminds us that rather than forsake us in such times, God chooses to visit us, to come to us, to suffer and die for us, and to open for us the gates of new life. God's resistance to sin is precisely because God wishes for us the best and grieves when we turn away into darkness. God breaks up the night with the brilliance of love and mercy and shatters the bonds which cut so deeply into our flesh and bones.

So it is that Isaiah paints a graphic picture for us of God's justice and mercy. God "will not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;..." (Isaiah 11:3,4) This is another way of saying "... man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart." (I Samuel 16:7)

This puts a proper perspective on the way we see our people and, for that matter, the way we see all people. It is our privilege to see beyond the obvious to the significant rather than reach judgments by considering only the external dimensions of what persons do. To be sure, it is quite important to take seriously what we see and hear; but in a Christian perspective we can look deeper than the surface. The basic image by which we measure our own perception of persons is summarized in the so-called "Kenosis" passage in Philippians 2. Phillips translates verse 4, "None of you should think only of his own affairs, but should learn to see things from other people's point of view." This is followed by the magnificent words of how Christ Jesus did not grasp equality with God but came to us in humility taking upon himself the burden of our sins, identifying with us as we are so that we, through him, can become who we were created to be. From this perspective it is possible to reach a deeper understanding of persons than might be derived from purely external observation.



There is never any assurance that the door will be opened; but it does happen. In Advent we can expect the unexpected. Isaiah's words are dazzling. Wolves dwell with lambs, leopards lie down with kids, calves and lions and little children find peace. It is the promise which sustains us and the people who are entrusted to us. God draws near in the birth of Christ, and we are privileged to see the deeper meaning in what is apparent. We have the privilege of enabling our people to do the same - to see beyond the tinsel and bustle, the pain and the suffering, the loneliness, and the anxiety and know that the Lord God, the Omnipotent reigns. To be sure, we do not yet see all things in subjection to God. "But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor..." (Hebrews 2:9) Nowhere is this more evident than in Advent. As Paul put it, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13)


In Christ,
Brown

Praise the Lord for the following:

Linda Ayer - the Lord has given her a speedy recovery and she thanks you for praying for her.
Mike and Shannan, who came to worship the Lord yesterday as they do faithfully every Sunday. Shannan participated in praise and prayer and then, after the benediction, she started have labor pains. They drove to the hospital. At the end of the second worship service Shannan delivered her second son, born healthy and strong. Shannon told me that the delivery of the baby was brisk and vigorous. Praise the Lord for all His little lambs. May He keep them safe in His arms.
Alex and Mary are blessed with a newborn son, Andrew Craig. The happy grandparents are Alan and Bonnie Ewing.
Katherine and Chris are blessed with a daughter, Olivia Ryan. Happy grandparents are Doug and Elizabeth Kerr, great grandfather is Reid Barton.
Jim and Christian are blessed with a daughter, Jenna Rae. Happy grandparents are Howard and Emily Seymour.
Shawn and Becky Butterworth are blessed with a daughter, Louisa Eileen. Happy grandparents are Dave and Linda Barton. Great grandfather is Reid Barton.
Pray for the family of Geraldine Oakes, Gerald died last week. She was 88 yrs. old. She was a wonderful sister and faithful friend to Betty DuBois.
Happy birthday to our friend Sandy Jones. A faithful servant to Jesus.

A very early happy birthday to our daughter, Laureen. She shares her birthday with our dear friend Lauren Halverston, on December 15.

Continue to pray for Jack Hoppes and John Pipher, David Bezek who is in hospice in Colorado Springs.
Continue to pray for Ryan Kerr in hospice.
Continue to pray for Connie Perry, George Kossler.Jack Black, Mehlon and Eloise Tewksbury
Pray for Desiree and Jason, in OK, who are expecting their second son some time this week.


And please continue to pray for Scott and his family as Social Services reviews their case. It is sad in deed to have this upheaval during the holidays. But then they do not have the Lord in their hearts. I try every time we visit to teach Allyson more about the Lord.


"I am pleased to announce that we collect $175.00 this morning to buy outfits for the children in India. That is so much more than I expected on such a short notice. I am very pleased with the congregations gifts. There were lots of laughs and smiles. Everything went well... PJCARES in Vermont.