In The Black

Did you find any great Black Friday deals? Retailers certainly hope you did! For many of them, this is the "make or break" day in their fiscal year. It accounts for up to 30 percent of sales and 50 percent of profits. It actually pays for the rest of the year for them. I guess that's why you see items for sale that you usually don't associate with Christ. Liquor and lingerie. Jerky and Jacuzzis. Armoires and ammunition. To be fair, you can't really blame the retailers. They are just selling what they sell and trying to take advantage of the seasonal shopping frenzy.
Black is actually not one of the colors I usually associate with Christmas. Biblically and historically, it is generally more associated with famine, disease, and death. Red, green, and white are more likely to put me in a holiday mood, but for those making their living during this season - getting "in the black" financially - they may be ready to remake Bing Crosby's greatest hit to fit THEIR "dreams". Great cash-flow, empty shelves, debts paid. Which brings us to our point.
As a pastor, I often encourage people to "Put Christ Back in Christmas", and I don't really mean putting a baby doll in manger scene. I mean getting a grip on why we celebrate His birth. No doubt there were millions of babies born that night, but only one we really remember, and not mainly for the circumstances of His birth. We remember Him because of a very black Friday, the blackest in all history:
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30
"It is finished." Three English words, one Greek word: "Tetelestai". It's root carries the meanings "ended, completed, perfected", but it had a commercial application. Suppose you made a deal in the marketplace. "Give me 20 jars of oil today, and next month I'll pay you for 25." The dealer writes down the particulars, you sign it, and take your oil home. Next month comes around and you show up with the cash, the dealer pulls out the bill, you pay up, and he writes one word across the bill: "Tetelestai". We need three English words here, too: "Paid in Full".
On that Blackest Friday, out debt was fully paid. He who knew no sin became sin for us, took on Himself our just punishment, and wrote "Paid In Full" across our ledger of sin-debt. For all who call on Him, He puts "In The Black" forever. As for me? This year I'll be "dreaming" of a NEW Christmas color.

I'm dreaming of a Black Christmas
Because my sins are washed away
And the debt that I owed, Christ paid so I'd go
To live with Him in Heaven some day! (to the tune of "White Christmas")

And if you're not In The Black spiritually, it's time to get your debt paid!
For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Foreign Gods

And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:3 “Oh, come on! This can’t be for today.” “Why not?” “Foreign gods. Ashta-whatevers. Give me a break!” “Ashtaroth, the goddess of the moon and fertility, in many ancient places the epitome of sex. You don’t think we live in a sexualized society where people focus on it to an unhealthy degree, where manipulation and exploitation are rampant? Don’t you own a TV?”. “I see where you’re going with this. You’re gonna start beating me up with your Moral Majority club, aren’t you?" “Not exactly. It’s more about idolatry than morality. I know you’re a church member, you’re there most Sundays, and most people would call you a good Christian, right?" “Of course I am. I joined the church with my whole family back when Brother Buck Ripsnorter was the preacher. Best thing I’ve ever done." “So, you’re a part of God’s Kingdom, then, and He has made your heart His home." “Absolutely!" “So, anything you love or let your mind dwell on has a place in your heart, His home. And since wherever He is, His heavenly kingdom is, and anything that’s not of Heaven is by definition, ‘Foreign’. If you’ve ever harbored ungodly thoughts you’ve been harboring foreign gods and Ashtaroth." “uh...um...like what kind of thoughts?" Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 “So, uh, hypothetically, if I’ve been giving a place to ‘foreign gods’, what should I do?” “Just what Samuel said. Put them away. Clear them out. Give your heart completely over to the God of your salvation, then watch Him whip all those temptations and foreign influences and make you free.” Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28 -30

Treasures

I have stored up your word in my heart, ​​​​​​​that I might not sin against you. ​​​Psalm 119:11 ​​​​​​​​ My kinfolks accuse me of reading the dictionary for fun, which admittedly isn't far from the truth. Back in the "olden days", if you asked a teacher what a word meant (or how to spell it), she would point to the big classroom dictionary and say the magic words: "Look It Up Yourself." So, up you'd get and proceed to the 50 pound dictionary-on-a-stand and begin turning pages. Talk about "Old School"! Of course, if you kept turning too long, there was a series of throat clearings (ahem - Ahem - AHEM!) followed by "Stop Dawdling", and finally the command to "Take your seat!" To be fair, I learned a lot along the way to looking up something else. Makes it annoying to watch "Jeopardy" with me (so I've been told), but it didn't always help my grades. If you're supposed to be doing a report on elephants, but spend 2 hours rabbit-trailing from "archipelago" to "zygote"...well, there's not a lot of overlap. All you teachers out there who want to scold me for my lack of concentration and self-control, let me just say, "THPBBBTTT!" One of the MANY things I love about the Bible: There's ALWAYS overlap! ​​​​​​​​Your word is a lamp to my feet ​​​​​​​and a light to my path. ​​​Psalm 119:105 Transforming truth glows on every page. Connections are discovered between Ruth and Romans, Ecclesiastes and Ephesians, ancient heroes (and sinners) and modern Me. Many, many times I've faced a conundrum ("L.I.U.Y."), looked up to Heaven with a "Lord show me what to do", opened at random (Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous), and found the Answer I needed. We used to call that "Inspiration by Gravity", but I'm always finding treasure in God's Word and I don't think it's random chance. I "faith" (believe, trust, and expect) instead that He is guiding my eye. Of course, when you've got it in your heart you can find that Answer by listening for that "still small voice" who can call to your memory the right word at the right time. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 Find the Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, the Treasure of the Word of God, and enjoy the Blessing of eternal riches!

Potted Meat Won't Fly

Heard this story at the cafe recently. A couple of locals on vacation were trying to catch their flight when one of them was tagged by airport security. There was a problem with some of his carry-on baggage. They brought out the supervisor. They brought out the manual. After much scratching of heads and furious debate, they decided: "You can take the sardines on the flight, but not the potted meat." This begs the question, "Huh??" Now I know that outside the South, not a lot of people are aware of the joys of "lips and tips" (my dad's description of "redneck pate"), and maybe they thought that it was a fake product disguising a bomb, but it's really hard to understand how - and why! - they made this decision. Did they think the potted meat can would make a better missile? "Nobody move, or I'll thunk you in the head!" Were they moon-lighting as cholesterol cops? "Do you know why we stopped you, Sir? Do you have any idea what this stuff will do to your arteries?" Maybe they were afraid he was planning to eat it on the plane: "We're concerned that the stench might create a panic by making the oxygen masks fall down."As bureaucratic intelligence goes, I would have to say that this was not their finest hour. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Matthew 23:24 Of course, security trolls aren't the only ones capable of making such, well, goofy decisions. Jesus ran into a group of religious professionals called Pharisees that boggled even His mind. For example, to avoid accidentally swallowing tiny unclean insects, they would always pour their wine from the jug through a piece of cloth into a cup. This actually makes pretty good sense to those of us who have lived in a bug-intensive environment, but in the image Jesus is painting, it's as if they were getting their wine out of a vat that had a dead camel floating in it. No puny little cloth was going to filter that taste out! In the world of airline security, it really REALLY shouldn't be about deciding between sardines and potted meat, but about intercepting real threats to the lives and safety of everyone involved - and since we haven't had any more planes flying into buildings, maybe they are doing a better job than we give them credit for. And maybe, just maybe, we should be more concerned about deeper issues than having our religious sensibilities irritated by the trivial. The Pharisees could put on a good show of "religion" even while despising their neighbor. They were great at nit-picking, not so good at getting to the heart of God and the things that please Him. Let's not make the same mistakes, but put into practice those things that are near and dear to His heart! He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 ​​​​​​​​

Got Worms?

The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 Heard a friend of mine quoting "an anonymous source" (couldn't remember who said it): All the Devil's apples got worms! We all laughed (and wrote it down. Good, clear, pithy statements are rare enough that we should share them when we find them.) I immediately began to think about apple polishing. No matter how carefully the outside of the apple is buffed, no matter how artistically displayed, if it's got a worm, the inside is being corrupted. Nobody wants to be the butt of the "Worst Kind of Worm To Find in an Apple" joke. (A half of one. Rimshot.) No, the flavor and value of any fruit is compromised by the presence of the vermiform, and the devil always makes it first priority to insert a corrupting influence. But then it occurred to me. These weren't the Devil's apples, but God's! (And yes, I know the Bible doesn't say "apples", but "fruit". Go pick your nits on your own time.) In The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis notes that the Devil doesn't create anything but misery. In this case, he doesn't even possess anything. He only suggests. He suggests that God (!) is deceptive and is actually withholding something, and implies that Eve would be better off by choosing rebellion. We all know how well THAT worked out, don't we? No, this worm wasn't even in the "apple", it was in the Trust/Faith of Eve. She was tempted by the peculiar idea that somehow God wasn't good - enough. This particular weapon in the Devil's arsenal was so effective, he still uses it, and hardly ever has to use another one. Every time we face temptation, at it's heart it's the same old same old. "This moment of pleasure and self-indulgence will be far better than the result of resisting. If God didn't want us to do it, He shouldn't have made it so enjoyable." It's that kind of bogus thinking that keeps us destroying our lives with the deeds of the flesh instead of enriching them with the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:19-23 Keep up, people.) But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 Everything the Devil tempts us with has the Worm of Rebellion in it. You're probably thinking, "But I don't feel rebellious!" Despite what Obi Wan and Yoda preach, your feelings are never the best guide to truth. If you are doing something God said "NO!" about, that Worm is already corrupting the most precious thing in life - your relationship with the Lord. Break out the only effective spiritual pesticide: Devotion to Christ by Faith. And no matter how strong that temptation is, remember: All the Devil's apples got worms!

Which Church?

And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 Any idea how many "churches" meet in your building each Sunday? There can be quite a collection of groups with different expectations and needs, and rare is the preacher who doesn't at least occasionally feel the pressure of trying to feed all of them with the same fodder. Happily, HSS is a great sauce for both milk and meat. HSS? Holy Spirit Sauce, of course! Don't get your sermon without your HSS, or it will be dry and tasteless and it'll spoil before you know it! It's a good thing you can bring it with you anywhere, because you don't always find it when you get there, do you? Anyway, there are always at least three groups in every meeting I can recall. There are shades and variations, and some folks belong to more than one, but I think you'll find yourself in one of these on any given Sunday. If I missed you, let me know, because I also care for "all the churches", especially those meeting with me! First off, there's the First Church of the Devoted. They come early and stay late. They notice who's missing, they encourage their pastor and one another. They are intensely interested in the success of the ministry, so they bring their all to the altar. They are the heirs of the Twelve, always in on the action, and though they are Leaders in the congregation, they are also the most fully Led. And they are generally outnumbered by our second group, the Distracted: "What's that she's wearing? Can you stand that cologne? Wonder what's for lunch? What's going on now?" Teens and toddlers. Moms and Dads. Grands and their treasures. Widows and the never-wed. Honestly, most of us can fit in this group from time to time, thinking about any- and every-thing except what we should be, but a good many people never leave it. Like the multitudes around Jesus, they are mostly there to see and be seen and usually missing or misunderstanding what's going on, the Fussing and the Fussed At. But the ones that break our hearts, that are the main focus of most of our prayers and preparations are the members of the Last Chance Church of the Desperate - the sick, the lonely, the broken, the needy, the Dying and the Dead, hoping for relief even against their expectations. Will they find it? Can they be led to it? It IS God's will, and our hope! And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17 Devoted, Distracted, or Desperate, the Saviour is calling us all. Come take your place in His church, and meet with the One who makes the difference for me.

Caught Dead...Again?

...Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required... Luke 12:48b Remember the tale I told about my mother's husband? He's got a nice outfit ready, chosen by my sisters, if my mom "goes" before he does, so that she won't be buried in "something she wouldn't be caught dead in." While she's not in any particular danger of "going" for a while yet, he's all set. Until she decides to revise it. Good luck with that, Papa John! There are quite a few things I don't want to be caught dead in, and I think you'll find some of them in your own list. Don't have a list? Might be a good time to make one so you aren't caught...by surprise. Let's put Selfishness on the top of that list. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. Luke 16:22-23 Personally, I've never been in much danger of being "rich", at least by American standards, so for a long time I just kind of assumed that the rich man was getting what he deserved. If you follow up that little train of logic, it wrecks on the premise that poor folks are somehow better or more godly than rich ones. For most of us, it isn't a character issue, just lack of opportunity. You could make the case that Jesus doesn't really say why the rich man ended up where he did, but I think He gave us a pretty big hint. I suspect that maybe letting a man - a fellow countryman, maybe even a kinsman - starve to death on his front porch while he was feasting inside might have just a little bit to do with it. Trust me, you don't want to be caught dead like that! If he had even deigned to think about the beggar in the yard, it was probably along the lines of "If I help him, it will just encourage other deadbeats to show up, and I don't have the resources to feed ALL the poor." Thing is, the promises of God's blessings were directly tied to generosity (Deuteronomy15). There always have been, and I suppose always will be until the Lord establishes the new Heaven and earth, folks who try to take advantage. We have learned to not give cash, but a sack of groceries to a soul in need will never go amiss. God has been overwhelmingly generous to us, and as His representatives He expects us to be the same to others. Risky, sure, but He's got us covered. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:35