They Told Who?

*Since the Prince of Wales Hotel is closed during the actual Christmas season, we celebrated it July 25th; this is the inspiration for this post*

We all know the story.

Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. There is no room in the inn. Jesus is born. The angels tell the shepherds. The shepherds come and find the baby. A little while later (if you're watching a Christmas production version) the wise men show up...

Wait.

The angels told shepherds?!

This is something that we easily read over. For us shepherds are either Joe Farmer from down the street or it is the little kids wearing their dad's bathrobe - both options aren't bad. However, this is not what a shepherd was - back then shepherds were the lowest of the low. They were known for letting their sheep graze on land they weren't supposed to, they were thieves, they were not religious. They were the outcasts of society. Yet God told them first? This would be like the Queen of England rushing out of the hospital to tell a prostitute, or a junkie, or a homeless man that #royalbaby was born. This just wouldn't happen! Yet it is to these people that God chose to let them know that His son was born.

We are all shepherds. Due to sin, we are all outcasts when it comes to God's holiness - none of us are worthy of this. We are all the lowest of the low - it was for us, shepherds, that God came to bring peace.

Peace from trying to earn our way to salvation. Peace from doubt. Peace from fear. Peace from comparison. Peace from degradation. Peace from judgement. Peace with God. The shepherds marveled at this as they looked at Jesus - here was God's plan to bring them peace, a peace they could already begin to feel. This is what they had been waiting for. This peace was seen when they looked at the face of the baby Jesus in the manger; we can see this peace when we see Jesus hanging on the cross.

The words the angels told the Shepherds told the shepherds still ring true for us - A Savior has been born, He is Christ the Lord - and he came to bring you peace because he loves you.

I used to be humble...but now I'm perfect

Pride.

It's a word that we hear and instantly think of other people. We think of examples when other people boasted of their accomplishments or had an arrogant air around them when we talked with them. It's something that he needs to deal with; it's something that she struggles with; it's never something that I deal with.

We all know that last sentence isn't true. There are times when we all are prideful - I make better coffee than ___________, I'm smarter than ____________, I'm prettier than _______________, I'm funnier than ____________...the list can go on and on. C.S. Lewis says that “pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man" (Mere Christianity). If you are anything like me you know that this is true, we are great at comparing ourselves to other people - in fact it might be one of the things that we are all experts at.

The disciples were no different - in fact they debated about who the best disciple was (Luke 9:46). You have to imagine that it was this conversation which was in their heads as they silently watched as Jesus watched their feet. Why were they silent - it wasn't because he was washing their feet, this was a fairly common practice in Palestine because of all the dirt roads. No, this was shocking, because their master had stripped to his boxers, wrapped a towel around himself, and began washing their feet. This task was reserved for a servant, and not an Israelite servant because it was too humiliating! And now here was Jesus taking that upon himself - he was intentionally humiliating himself because he loved his disciples.

And after he finished, he told them to do the same. He tells us to do the same.

He showed a fulfillment of this type of love when he hung on the cross - a humiliating death - because of his great love. This is the type of love that we are called to have when he tells us to wash each other's feet. It is through this love that people will know we are Jesus' disciples - after all that was his signature, Paul gives us a summary in Philippians 2: he took on human flesh (he is God), he took the nature of a servant (he was the teacher/rabbi), he died on the cross (he was innocent of any sin). Jesus washed the disciples feet of physical dirt, he washes us of spiritual dirt - we are no different than the disciples feet. Our feet get dirty, and Christ humiliated himself so that we could be clean.

So the question is not: how humble are you; the question is, are you willing to humiliate yourself so that others will know the love of Christ?

2nd Greatest Love Story Ever Told

People love love stories. There is something about them that draws a person in - whether it is seeing themselves in the characters or remembering their own story or enjoying the feeling it brings up in them. Now this isn't to say that everyone loves every story - some are too sappy, some have unbelievable characters - each person agrees that there is a hierarchy, they just disagree about what that hierarchy is. Everybody has their personal preferences - Sweet Home Alabama, P.S. I Love You, The Notebook, The Lion King - but there are some stories that everyone agrees are timeless - the best example being Romeo & Juliet. The story of star-crossed lovers is near the top of everyone's list - even if it is just because it is Romeo and Juliet.

The story of Ruth is a story that I think should be at the top of everyone's list as well for a couple of reasons. First, it starts with funerals and grief and ends with a wedding and hope. It isn't just one funeral but it is three funerals, and it isn't just a wedding but the marriage of King David's grandparents. Second, it involves sacrifice (Ruth leaving her homeland), chivalry (almost everything Boaz does), a complication (one who is closer) - everything that a good love story needs.

The biggest reason that it deserves to be near the top of the list is because it points us towards the greatest love story ever. The story of Jesus. The story of how he came to earth and performed the greatest act of love the world has ever known and ever will know - dying for those whom He loved. It is this story that the story of Ruth and Boaz points us to.

In the story of Ruth, Boaz is known as the "kinsman-redeemer". A kinsman redeemer is just what it sounds like - "kinsman", it was someone who was a relative, and "redeemer", it was someone who helped purchase something back (whether land, a person from slavery, or a debt). This was special role that was layed out within the law system, which allowed people to retain the land that their family had been given. Not just anyone could be a kinsman-redeemer, there were three qualifications: 1) They had to be a blood relative, 2) They had to be willing to help 3) They had to be able to help. Boaz fit all those requirements.

Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer - He fits the requirements. By coming to earth and living a human life He became a blood relative of the human race. We read in the Gospels that Jesus willingly gave up His life. Jesus being God could pay the unpayable debt that the human race had incurred. He payed this debt by dying the most painful death known to man - the cross (they had to invent a new word - excruciating - to describe the pain that was felt by someone during their torture and death!) - all because He loved us; it wasn't based on anything we did or could do (let's be honest He's God, what could we do to impress him?) but based solely on the fact that He loved us.

Since he did that for us, that means that we are part of the greatest love story ever told. Not only are we a part of it - we are one of the main characters!

Do we live like it? Do we live like the people in movies - full of joy, happiness, and life? Do we acknowledge what he has done for us, or do we just live apathetically? 

Does it Count as Still if the Earth is Moving?

Psalm 46 has one of the most well known verses in the Bible - "Be still and know that I am God". While this verse is one of the most well-known, do we really know it? When I think of this verse my mind is taken back to a painting that I saw in a Christian store - the image has this verse printed in a nice font in front of an amazing picture. The picture had majestic mountains rising out of a serene lake underneath a starry sky. It brought be back to memories of camping, and sitting and looking up at the stars and feeling "still". It is easy to feel still when that is what is surrounding you...

...but that's not what this psalm is about.

A quick look at the words used in the Psalm and it is obvious that this Psalm is anything but peaceful and serene. This Psalm sees the very foundations of the earth (the mountains) falling into chaos (the poetic meaning behind sea). The nations of the world and raging and roaring. This Psalm was written after a time when Jerusalem was under seige, and the nations were rising up against the people of God - there was no hope. Then God worked mightily and saved His people. The Psalm picks up on this to - while the world is being swallowed by a raging and foaming river, the people of God are saved by a small stream; the nations are roaring and raging, and all God has to do is utter his voice and the entire earth melts away. God is in control.

No matter how crazy or chaotic the situation might be, God is in control. In fact when entire earth falls into chaos - God is still more powerful and in control. This is what this Psalm is about. In fact being still and knowing that God is God is not just some nice phrase thrown in there - it is a command from God at the end of this Psalm. After this entire "story" of a raging world still being under the control of God - he reminds those who follow Him and those who were raging against Him that He is God. This is not about sitting in the still places and being still, this is about being still when the world around you is becoming more and more chaotic. This is about the peace that we have in Christ. This is about being still when the world around you is moving.

Are you still?

To My Fellow Exiles

Today is July 1, and that means that it is Canada Day. People are walking around Waterton sporting red and white shirts, bandannas, face paint, and hats. It is a time of celebrating the things that make Canadians unique, and celebrating the freedoms they are allowed to experience because of living here. This act of celebrating your country is not unique - in 3 days the United States is going to celebrate the 4th of July; a day in which they use the same basic principles to celebrate.

Today is also a good day to remember that we are in a foreign land. Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20 that "our citizenship is in heaven". C.S. Lewis defends this when he realizes "if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world". We live in a world which is controlled by sin and death; we know that we have been freed through the blood of Christ on the cross but he have to wait until this freedom is ultimately realized.

In Jeremiah 29 the Israelites also found themselves in a foreign land - while we are not aware of our slavery (think matrix), the Israelites were very aware of their exile. They had been dragged into Babylon after Jerusalem had fallen to the most powerful commander of the time, King Nebuchadnezzar.  It was to these people that Jeremiah wrote the letter which we find in Jeremiah 29 - the people knew that God was going to bring them out of their exile, but they did not know when. Jeremiah was countering the prophets who were falsely proclaiming that it would be a short exile - instead Jeremiah told them it was going to take a while. 

So while they were waiting he gave them some instructions: 1)build houses and live in them, 2) plant gardens, 3) marry and have children. These first instruction make sense as they take care of their basic needs of food, shelter and a future. His next instruction might have been more surprising - they were to seek the 'shalom' of the city they were living in. Shalom is translated as 'peace' but it means more than that, it is a wholeness or when things the way they are supposed to be. It is that feeling when you come home after a trip as you say "ah...I'm home." They were to seek this feeling for the people they were living with. The final instruction that Jeremiah gave was mind-blowing - he commanded them to pray for them as well. Now for those of us on this side of the cross this is normal (Jesus told us to pray for our enemies after all), but for a Jew this is revolutionary. In fact, this is the first (and only) time in the Old Testament that this command of praying for someone other than an Israelite is given!

We too can follow these instructions. While we look forward to the day when we will be in heaven with our Lord, we need to live in a way that does not neglect our earthly needs. We too need to live in a way that brings 'shalom' to the places that we live in - this can mean organizing large volunteer projects to help with your cities needs (floods in Calgary, tornadoes in Oklahoma, etc) but it also means the small things that might go unnoticed (raking your neighbors lawn, paying for someones meal at the drive-thru, doing the dishes without complaining). Living in this way is not always easy, but it is a way that values people as being made in the image of God. Finally we need to remember to pray for the city that we live in - not in a way that demeans the church but in a way that values it and acknowledges the difficulties that it goes through. This might seems strange at first - to pray for these people who you might not know, or for a city but it is something that needs to be done.

So as we celebrate the great countries that we live in, let us celebrate in a way that reflects the blessings that we have received by living where we do and live in a way which seeks the well-being of that city. Let us not forget, we are ambassadors from another kingdom and we need to live in a way the represents that kingdom.

Your Word is a What to My Path?

One of the most quoted verses of the Bible might be Psalm 119:105 - "Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path". What's sad about his is it might be one of the most misunderstood verses as well. A typical explanation of this verse to people involves a flashlight, and the example is you're walking in the dark but you have a flashlight - so you can see where you're going.

While this is true of the Bible, it helps us see where we are going, this interpretation misses the larger scope that the author is attempting to portray. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, and the author organizes it in such a way that he is practically screaming how great God's Word is. Not only does he go from A to Z (or Aleph to Tav) but he organizes the entire psalm by the number 8 as well - 8 sections to each letter, 8 names for God's Word, 8 symbols for God's Word, and 8 responses to God's Word. In Hebrew letters are associated with various ideas, and the number 8 is associated with the idea of overabundance. God's Word is more than you need.

So knowing this structure the idea that God's Word is a flashlight just doesn't make sense anymore. The word that is used for light actually refers to something like the light of the sun. That God's Word is a light which makes everything visible. It is the greatest light that we know, and it is by it that we see everything else clearly.

Now many sermons have been written which portray how God's Word should be used as a guide, as a light is a guide to the path. Instead I want to talk about what happens when people are holding or using a light. If it is dark outside and someone has a flashlight people naturally will want to walk near them; does the person with the flashlight put away their flashlight for fear of people judging them? No, that's ridiculous. Does the person point out that they do not have a flashlight and use their own flashlight to point out all the places they failed? No, that would be moronic, because then they could not see where they were going.

How are you using God's Word? Like a flashlight or like the sun?
Are you using it in a way that draws people closer or makes people want to leave?

Amber Waves of Grain, Purple Mountains Majesty, and All That Good Stuff

I write this from potentially one of the most beautiful places on earth – Waterton, Alberta, Canada. I am living on a hill which is bordered by a glacier made lake, and is surrounded by mountains. While I share this hill with my other employees at the Prince of Wales Hotel - I also share this hill with several ground hogs, a pack of deer, a herd of big horned sheep, and a fox. Every day I climb a steep hill to reach the hotel, which is at the top, – before I reach the hotel though I always turn and look to my right. I do this because at 6:30am the lake is serene and almost glass-like, the base of the mountains are peaking out of the misty fog which envelopes them like a blanket, and because it is here that I can’t help but praise God.

It is here in this environment that the words of Psalm 19 come to life. You can hear the heavens declaring the glory of God, and as you gaze at the sky which is proclaiming his handiwork you can’t help but lower your gaze a little and as it comes to rest on the peaks of the mountains you add your voice to theirs as they go out through all the earth. Here it’s easy to do that – every day is different, and every day is awesome. A group of us went for a hike up one of the shorter mountains, and as we get to the top my roommate summed up what we were all thinking when he exclaimed in a reverent whisper “this…is…breath-taking!”

It is true that this place is breath-taking but what do we do though if we live in the flat lands of the Mid-West, where in some places the most exciting thing we see is a wind turbine (I would know, I drove through South Dakota and left with at least 5 pictures of various wind turbines!)? Or we live in the city where we struggle to even find the brightest stars at night? Well for all of us we can read the second half of Psalm 19.

As David is contemplating how the heat of the sun touches everywhere on earth (it is interesting to note that he says the heat, and not the light), he is drawn towards God’s Law and it’s similar all-encompassing nature. As we begin to contemplate the God which nature is constantly imploring us to worship, we begin to consider his acts and what he has done. For David God’s greatest blessing was the giving of the law, because it was through the law that he was able to follow God. For Christians, we look to the cross to see God’s greatest blessing.

It is here before the cross that we all can join together in singing the praises of God's acts. It is here that the  mountains, the wildlife, and the lake begin fade in comparison to the wonder and majesty of what God has done and continues to do in people’s lives. The conversations that I have had with Christians  here  where we share what God has done in our life – whether money showing up in the bank so we could continue education or a cool breeze on a hot day – are more awe inspiring then standing on the peak of a mountain.

Why?

When we are looking at the mountain we are only watching praise rise to God, but when we join in the praising we are brought into the universal voice  - a voice which there is no nation or tongue which does not understand it. Are you ready to join in?