Month: January 2016

Let me tell you about the worst cup of coffee I have ever had…because it was also the best cup of coffee I have ever had.

When Nathanael first met Jesus, he wasn’t impressed. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” he asked. (John 1:46) Apparently Jesus’ home town wasn’t known for its wise prophets. Nathanael judged Jesus based on his place of residence, which seems kind of shallow. But we all do it. We quickly judge a person we have just met. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we quickly evaluate the people we meet each day. Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy says we ask two important questions: • Can I trust this person? • Can I respect this person? Put another way, we are looking for warmth and competence in other people. And they are looking for those things in us. The tendency, according to Cuddy, is that we often try to appear competent first. We want to impress people with our knowledge and skills. We want people to know that we are smart and can handle any situation. However, that’s not the first thing people are evaluating us on. The first thing people are asking is, “Does this person deserve my trust?” Is this someone that I could get to know and like? Are they interested in getting to know me? They want to know something personal about who we are. It reminds me of that old saying, “People don’t care what you know, until they know you care.” This doesn’t mean that we always have to be overly friendly or mushy-gushy. But other people do want us to reveal something about who we are. They want to know we are human. We don’t have to know it all. We can ask for help. We can admit to weakness. Once people sense our humanity, they are more likely to open up and work on a positive relationship with us. Paul reminds us that our goal as Christians is to imitate Christ. So when it comes to interpersonal relationships, he counsels us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil. 2:3-4) I think that’s something we can all learn to do more often. When we value others and let them know it, Christ is glorified and people are encouraged.

We are two weeks into the New Year and I thought I’d ask you: how are those New Year’s resolutions going? Maybe that’s an unfair question. While most of us have dreams and desires for the future, we find it hard to stick with goals and resolutions. Researchers at the University of Scranton say that only about 8% of people achieve the goals they set for the New Year. Maybe that’s because most of us don’t really like setting goals. While in seminary, I heard a talk entitled “Stop setting goals.” At the time, I was struggling with goals, setting them and achieving them. In fact, I was often stressed out over making sure I had the right goals and how I was working on them. I felt that without a list of goals to work on, my life might not be very successful. The speaker’s point was that some people love setting goals while other people would rather solve problems. It turns out that not everyone gets all excited about working towards goals. Many people are too busy dealing with a whole host of problems but they are making progress anyway. So his advice was this: stop setting goals and start solving problems. In team sports, there are people that play offence and people that play defence. Those on offence want to get as many goals as possible by scoring on their opponents. They are motivated to get the ball in the net. Those on defense need a plan to prevent as many shots as possible getting into the net. While the outcomes may be the same, it’s often a matter of reframing the issue. Some people love setting goals and reaching them. Others love to work on defining problems and solving them. The research shows that both types of people are equally successful. Both types of individuals want to enjoy life and make progress in different areas. However, if your energy levels drop by a hundred points when asked to set goals, you might be a problem-solver. Reframing the issue may help give the motivation you need. Whether you prefer to set a goal or solve a problem, the Bible encourages us to submit everything to God: Trust in the Lord with all your heart     and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight   (Proverbs 3:5-6) I set a goal of joining a gym and going three times a week this year. I’m hoping it helps me with this problem of a few extra pounds I have been carrying around.

Shortly before Christmas I entered an electronics store in France and was searched by a security guard before I could go in. It wasn’t that I looked suspicions or anything; they were doing that to everyone. Safety and security has become a big issue in this part of the world. So much of our lives now deal with issues of protection in one way or another. Living next door to two other countries I am never without my identification cards. I’m not always stopped when crossing a border but need to be prepared if I am. Many people have alarms in their house or cars. We have multiple passwords that we can’t remember in order to access various accounts on the internet. Credit card companies are coming out with ever more layers of security to prevent theft and fraud. Going through airports these days is an ordeal for the bravest among us. Public spaces in most major European cities are now monitored by dozens of security cameras. For all the work and effort going into keeping us safe I have a sense that most of us are feeling less secure about a whole host of things. We understand the need for increased surveillance in public places and when travelling; vigilance is needed. But we can’t help but wonder if it is enough. Security and safety have always been a concern. In ancient times cities were surrounded with walls in order to keep citizens safe and enemies out. Each city needed its own army and had to be prepared for battle at any time. It is sad that our world remains dangerous and there are people willing to cause harm. As necessary are these measures are, we Christians need to ultimately realize that our trust and security is in the Lord. The Psalmist writes: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7) I don’t know what lies ahead for 2016. There is certainly no end of hot spots that could erupt at any moment. The world may become an even more dangerous place. We can have a peace in the midst of all this. Our trust is in the Lord and we couldn’t have a better protector.

I don’t know what kind of year 2015 was for you. It might have been one of your best years ever. Or, you could be glad it’s on its way out.  Certainly this was a challenging year for the world in general. We saw continued threats from terrorism, danger from deadly disease and risk from various weather patterns. A prayerful posture is needed as we head into 2016. While thing around us may look dim, we don’t need to be disheartened. Take a look at the message of Isaiah 60:1-3, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. In the midst of great darkness Isaiah commands God’s people to ‘arise’ and to ‘shine’. Isaiah’s message is that, in spite of the darkness all around, it is a new day for God’s people. It’s time to arise because the light of God has come to us. Jesus declared himself to be the light of the world. We have received that light and are no longer in the darkness. We have a hope and face a bright future because we belong to Jesus. The fact that we are ‘children of God’ is enough to deal with whatever comes our way. We are called to “shine” so that others will be drawn to Jesus (nations will come to your light). God does some of his best work when things look very dark. The people in darkness are looking for a light and they should be able to see that in our lives. As we shine for Jesus others will be attracted and will come to know him as well. So ‘arise and shine’ for 2016 may be your best year ever. I didn’t say your most profitable year, or your healthiest year or even the easiest year. It may, in fact, be a very difficult year. But remember – the light of God has come to you and as you shine forth, others will come to know him as well. That’s enough to make it a great year in the eyes of God.

Mary did you know, that your baby boy Is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know, that your baby boy Will one day rule the nations? The song, Mary Did You Know, has become very popular at Christmas time. The song asks Mary, the mother of Jesus, if she understood the importance of the child she was carrying.  Whenever I hear this song I want to stop it and say, “Yes, she knew, she knew!” She knew because the angel told her. In Luke 1 we read: “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (1:30-33) We get even more insight into Mary’s knowledge when she sings her own song of praise after meeting with Elizabeth. Yes, Mary knew that the child she was carrying was the saviour of the world. Mary knew that Jesus was destined for great things. But she didn’t really know what lay ahead. She couldn’t know then the depth of love or power of emotions that she would feel for her son. She didn’t yet know of the pride she would take in seeing him at work. Nor, could she fully comprehend the pain that would pierce her heart as she looked at the cross. This knowledge would only come through living it out. This knowledge of Jesus, who he was and her relationship with him would only come through daily interaction. Many of us know about Jesus. We have the right theological answers about who he is. The events of his life are well known. His teachings are valued and discussed. But there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing him in a personal way. Christ came to earth so that we might know him. Getting to know someone comes through time and regular conversation. Our spiritual life is all about getting to know Jesus and growing in his likeness. That takes a lifetime – one day at a time. In this life we will face many joys and sorrows. We don’t know what lies ahead. But we can know Jesus and he promises to be with us each step of the way. This Christmas, may you know more fully the one who is our saviour.

One doesn’t normally think about Sherlock Holmes stories at Christmas time. But Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Holmes obviously loved a great mystery.  Set at Christmas time The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle involves the theft a rare blue carbuncle (a type of semi-precious stone). While investigating a scuffle a policeman finds an old hat and a goose. He takes the goose home for Christmas but his wife finds the carbuncle in the bird’s throat. Holmes can’t resist getting involved and sets out to determine how the stolen jewel ended up in a Christmas goose. (If you have extra time and want to read the short story- click here.) There a few a mysteries in the original Christmas story but perhaps the biggest is this: how did God end up in a human body? This mystery is at the heart of our faith. Jesus was both fully divine and fully human, at the same time. We struggle with this. He either seems all too human or all too divine and remote from our problems. It boggles our brain to understand that he had two natures. How is it possible? We don’t really know other than the writers of Scripture make it clear that the mystery is real. John tells us that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) The first two chapters of Hebrews deal with the nature of Jesus. It emphasises his divinity and his humanity. He was the perfect one to help bring us reconciliation with God. Hymn writer Charles Wesley expressed it this way: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail the incarnate Deity Pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus, our Emmanuel It’s a great mystery that leads to our great salvation. Make time to reflect on this during the holiday season.