Xmas or Christmas? An Opportunity to Share What It Really Means

It’s amazing what will pop into your head to ponder at 2:30 in the morning when you’re wide awake due to the medicine you are taking for bronchitis/sinusitis. Not that I’m complaining because I have been fighting this stuff for over 10 days now and it has already passed my “pain in the back side stage.” So, I wake up this morning and the first thing that pops into my head is my sermon for this coming Sunday. I’m venturing out of my comfort zone by preaching a sermon series instead of following the preaching lectionary which I have done predominantly for the past ten years. The focus for my sermon prep this week is on how the word “Christmas” has been and/or is being defined in the world over these past 2000 years.

Now instead of boring you with my vast array of “sermon marinade” from my academic stuff, I decided to see what Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) had to say and found it wasn’t too far off from some of my academic writings.

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ, and it, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century. Hence, Xmas is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Christmas. (Wikipedia- 12/1/10)

It was the last sentence of the Wikipedia quote that caught my eye and began within me that was something worth blogging about this early morn. It’s that time of year when some Christmas discussions fall back on whether or not we should use “Xmas” in place of Christmas. Now, let me start out by saying that indeed the commercialization of Christmas has gone beyond description and measure and any attempt to say “Merry Xmas” instead of Merry Christmas is to me open for debate as to why someone would intentionally say that. But writing “Xmas” instead of Christmas is something I am not against for a couple of reasons.

First, as the Wikipedia article states correctly, the first letter of Christ in Greek is “chi” represented in the English alphabet as an “X” ( the word “Christ” in Greek would be Χριστός ). And since most of our New Testament writings are based on our translations and understanding of the Greek language used at that time, I believe “Xmas” can be used without problem. I would like to also add that there are some traditions that say that many early followers of Christ used the “X” letter as a way to secretly identify themselves with other believers during the early persecution of the church in the centuries after Christ’s death. They would write the symbol on the ground, in correspondence, as small mark on their homes, etc… as a way to show they believed in Christ. And for what it’s worth, I was told years ago that if you write an “X” on the ground, a piece of paper, without lifting your writing instrument the “X” could then be seen as a “fish” similar to the “Christian fish logo” we have seen used for years now.

And my final and second reason is that this may open the door for us to teach and help others to a better understanding of who Jesus Christ is for us in our lives and can be for their lives. Who knows? You just may be able to share what the true meaning of Christmas is (I’m kind of partial to Linus’ theological rendition from “Charlie Brown’s Christmas” myself). Now when this door opens for you to share, I would remind you that this is not about “bible thumping” but about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

With gentleness and respect, that kind of reminds me of another shortcut we Christians used a while back, “WWJD?” Isn’t that what Christ would want us to do?

So Merry Christmas! or Merry Xmas! Either way look for an opportunity to share the true meaning and gift of Christmas...

God Even Speaks on Vacation

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?— 9 when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, 11 and said, "Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'? 12 "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,


16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. 19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? 21 Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! – (Job 38:1-12, 16-21)



Brenda and I are on vacation at one of our favorite vacation spots which is just about anywhere with a beach. Of course, the start of the vacation didn’t start too well when I decided to get sick. Woke up on our first day with what the doctor told me later was a full blown sinus infection with some “crud” on the side. She ordered me some great meds and with my wonderful nurse, Brenda who for about 72 hours has spoiled me rotten with attention, I am just about back to normal; well that is if you consider me to be normal in the first place.

One of the things I wanted to try to “find” out on vacation was a couple of answers from God about some questions I have about the direction of my ministry at the church I am presently serving. Since I graduated from seminary last May, Some doors have been slowly opening for me to step through and I have been questioning who is opening the door; God or me? Well, yesterday morning I think I got one of my answers…

One of my medicines has really messed up my sleep schedule. The last three morning rises have been in the 4AM range so I have been up reading, praying, etc… Yesterday morning, I decided that since I was somewhat better, I wanted to see the sun rise so I went to go for a walk on the beach around from where we are staying. When I got to the beach, I noticed a peculiar thing; a full beautiful moon was setting in the west over the sound while a new gorgeous sunrise was rising in the ease over the ocean. (pictures provided but not so great— there from my BlackBerry camera.)

As I was pondering the scene over the next couple of hours, I was amazed at the beauty of what I had seen in God’s creation? How could God do that? Better yet, why would God do that? It was about then I remembered the above passage from Job where God decides to answer some of Job’s questions on some of the things which had occurred to him and his family. While I was thinking about that, I wondered if God was trying to answer some of my questions.

Well, I got my answer this morning, I opened my Wesley Study Bible and this is what greeted me on the same page as Job 38, “Life Application Topic—God’s Presence.” And it started off with this, “God gets our attention however God chooses. The most basic spiritual discipline is attention; paying attention to God. All other disciplines are effective to the degree that they enable us to sense God’s presence.”

These “doors” that I have seen slowly opening for me over the last several months; maybe the answers I seek aren’t the doors themselves, but Who is with me when I approach these doors…

I think I may have found my answers…



Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

"The Long Road Back"

This past week has been wonderful; painful but wonderful. Wonderful in that I have been able to spend a week in Florida at the beach with my wife and some beautiful weather each and every day. Painful in the sense in that I'm not as smart as I thought I was. It seems that for the last eight years (maybe longer) while I was in school, I got so wrapped up in books, papers, pastoring, and stuff that I may have (probably did) missed out some important things in life like God, family, and friends.

My wife and I were talking last night about the past ten years or so, and now reflecting back on our talk, I came to see this morning that I missed out on a lot mainly because I had gotten my priorities out of line. Don't get me wrong; I know God called and provided the way for me to go back to school but while going through all of that, I made some decisions based on their ease of choice and not the priority of choice.

The best example I can give is a phrase I have laughed at in the past and hopefully will not in the future. The phrase is "self care" and I mean this for all areas of my life- spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Since I started back to school, my prayer life was based mainly on my needs, I have gained about 35 pounds, not taken a vacation with out books and laptop in tow, and have missed out on numerous opportunities to spend time with my beautiful beloved wife, our two great sons, other family members, and many, many wonderful friends.

So what do I do next? I've admitted my problem so now I need a remedy. First thing is something I should have done eight years ago is praying to God for guidance in how to best live a more balanced life in those areas listed above. And second thing is be more dedicated about being aware of my need for self care. And third, finally send this out and believe that God will allow this to be read by my family and friends who will hold me accountable to follow up on what I have written this day.

Hebrews 10:24-25-"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Love Dependent

“Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.”- 1 Peter 4:8

"Love Dependent"

The above verse is from “The Message” which I love reading. Of course, I couldn’t confess that for the past three years since the seminary I attended did not think too kindly on the accuracy and relevance of this paraphrased version. The reason I like reading The Message is that it often shows me possible meanings for verses which I may not come across using my usual exegetical means and analysis.
After reading the above passage from the fourth chapter of 1 Peter, I was reminded how much my life depends on love. I got to experience that a couple of weeks ago when my older brother from Texas stopped by to visit Brenda and me. It’s been way too long since we had last seen one another and we both need to figure out how to make it happen more often. Then last Thursday, I got to surprise my youngest son with a quick lunch get together after getting away early from an all day meeting. And again, it’s been way too long since we had seen one another (the same goes for our oldest son too).
It’s been real easy for the past three years to blame my school schedule for not seeing my family on a more regular basis, but I don’t have that excuse anymore. I need to be more dedicated in seeing and catching up with my family (anybody want to be my accountability partner?). Looking at that verse above, I am reminded how much my life as a person and as a pastor depends on my relationship with my family. I would especially not be who I am if not for the way my older brother watched out over me during my “formative years” and the way my two boys loved and supported me during the darkest times in my life. Combine that with the daily and never-ending love of my wonderful wife, Brenda, and I am one individual truly blessed beyond what God’s Grace has shown me. My life does depend on their love and of course, God’s love. With all of that love, how can I not be the person God has called me to be? Of course, during those moments where I fail to be that person, then all of that love, like the verse says, does make up for practically anything.
My prayer for those reading this is that you know and believe this too with every part of your being…

Best Seats in the House

While getting ready for this week’s sermon, I came across an answer to one of the great questions found within many churches today, “Why do so many people sit in the back of our churches?” I believe the answer to this question can be found in the Scriptures, more precisely in Luke 14:10. This is where Jesus tells those listening that they should sit in the worst of the seats so that the good seats could go to the more distinguished guests.
I think this now explains why so many people are anxious to sit in the back of churches; they are doing it because Jesus had told them to do so. Isn’t that a relief to know? Of course, Jesus does go on to say something else after telling those listening of their need to take the worst seats available. He goes on to say that by taking the worst seats; their host could come up to them and invite them to move up closer to the seats of honor up front. So I guess that would make the pastor the host when applied to our congregations as a context. And if that is true, then it would also be scriptural for the pastor to invite those sitting in the back to move closer to the front. And why shouldn’t they be willing to do so? I mean doesn’t everybody want to be in the front row for the best of the concerts and sporting events? So if that is true, why wouldn’t they also want to be in the front row for the “Good News” of Jesus Christ? Hmmm… just something to ponder…

Which Jesus Do I Serve?

This past Sunday, I preached on the text from Luke 12:49-56. In my ten years of ministry, I have never before preached on that passage, mainly because I have never really liked what Jesus was saying in those verses: "I have come to bring fire on the earth… do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division… They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Who wants to hear Jesus talking about that? Besides not preaching on this passage during the past ten years, I don’t ever remember hearing a sermon on it either. If I have heard a sermon preached on it, the sermon must have been very forgettable. What was I going to do?
Well long story short; after some mental discussion on the passage, I decided to go with the above text. After doing all of my sermon prep work, I struggled with how to start the sermon and then where to go with it. The next day, I was talking to one of my seminary friends who was dealing with a different problem. She wanted to preach to her congregation on the passage from Luke as a way of addressing a challenge within the church she was serving. While we were talking, she made me realize how often we filter out the verses from the Bible which make us uncomfortable and leave in those we like to hear. She now gave me the direction I wanted to go in with my sermon (Thanks Sarah B.)
I preached my sermon to my congregation as a warning to all about the danger of how easy it was to filter out some of the difficult sayings of the Bible, especially those where Jesus preaches to us about things that are considered obsolete in the world’s terms. Sure, we love to hear Jesus say that he is the light of the world (John 8:12), but this is the same Jesus who told us that we are to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Luke 6:27-29a)
I closed my sermon by asking my congregation (and myself) which Jesus were we going to serve: the Jesus we like from passages like John 8:12 or the Jesus of Luke 12:49-56. I then reminded us that they were both the same Jesus and for us to grow in our walks with Christ and in our service to the kingdom we needed to be followers of Jesus instead of admirers of Jesus. Because when we are faithful to following Christ, we are not only drawn closer to God, but we are also drawn closer to our neighbor—to those in our lives and even strangers. We see them just as God does—as human beings just like us, created in the image of God. Human beings just like us who are a sinners who need to know and be reminded how much God loves them. Human beings just like us who need to know and be reminded that God loves them so much that God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for them and for me. Yeah, that’s the Jesus I want to serve and preach on no matter what he may be saying to me and the congregations I am blessed to serve.

An Answer to Prayer

I am so blessed on Wednesday afternoons! I get to go to the local nursing home/rehab center and “preach” to the wonderful residents there. They are so wonderful with their hugs, their smiles, and kind words for me. Now, I have to admit it wasn’t always that way for me. Three years ago, I found out that I was going to have to serve in my local community as a part of a class obligation in first year of seminary. I had no idea turn of where to serve and I finally stole the idea of serving at a nursing home from another one of the students in my class. Besides, it was only for one semester and then I could quit and spend more time studying for school and serving my church.
I went into the activity room at the rehab center for the very first time not knowing what to expect. I “preached” to about 15 people that day and thought it went okay. As the residents filed out of the activity room after I was done, one of the ladies gave me a big hug and told me that I was exactly who they had been praying for. I asked the activity director what the resident was referring to. She told me that she had not been able to get a pastor to come out to “preach” to the residents. Yes, several churches in the area sent people out to the center, but it was for bible studies and sing-a-longs, not for preaching. The residents wanted a preacher/pastor to come and share God’s word with them. I was shocked! Surely, there had to be at least one pastor in the area who could spare an hour or so to share with the residents of a local rehab center.
I came back the following week and was blessed again by the responses of the residents who attended. I was once again reminded by the same lady that I was exactly who they had prayed for. Well, to make a long story short, I soon found out that I began to look forward to my weekly appointment with these wonderful people and when the end of semester came, I had fallen in love with them. I decided to do it for one more semester and then quit.
At least that’s what I thought… Now three years later, I’m still going to my weekly appointments with the residents and always looking forward to it. No matter how bad a mood I can be in when I get there, it all changes when I enter the activity room. The anticipation of their hugs, their smiles, and their kind words would melt any type of discord I may have felt within me. Yes, there are some there who may not be able to stay awake during my “sermon” and there are some who aren’t able to communicate clearly for some physical reason. But I have learned that none of that matters to me because each of these people have chosen to spend 45 minutes to an hour with me each week sacrificing other things like naps and other activities just to come here me share God’s word with them.
I want to close by sharing my favorite event during my time there. One particular afternoon, my throat was very dry and very scratchy. I struggled to speak and finally wished aloud for a drink of water. Shortly, one of the residents, Miss Ethel left the room in her wheelchair. This was not out of the norm because some of the residents do get bored and sometimes have to leave to take care of boredom or other things. About 15 minutes later, Miss Ethel re-entered the activity room and rolled herself to the front of the room where I was standing. She stopped in front of me and handed me an ice cold bottle of water.
I didn’t know what to say. You see, Miss Ethel had rolled her wheelchair all the way back to her room but not in the conventional way you and I would use a wheel chair. Miss Ethel, along with man of the other residents roll their wheelchairs by shuffling their feet back and forth which uses a great deal of effort and energy. Miss Ethel rolled about 250 yards down to her room to get some of her own money and then rolled herself back to the vending machine outside of the activity room to buy me a bottle of water.
This is just one of the many examples of how these wonderful people have blessed me and my ministry. I pray that any of you who may read this post are serving your community in some form or fashion. You never know how much it may mean to those you are serving and the blessing you will received in return. Besides, you just may be an answer to a prayer…

It’s Never Too Late to Teach an Old Pastor New Things

This past week while serving on a mission trip in Tennessee, I was blessed to discover that I was traveling with eight new and wonderful teachers. These teachers were the youth part of the mission team from the church I serve at. I am so indebted to them for their willingness to love, laugh, and serve while being the hands and feet of Christ to those we were serving this past week. They did all of this in some very hot and humid conditions and did it all without complaint to anyone. I’m still not too sure how they felt with their pastor tagging along with the other two adult chaperones, but I felt it was something that I needed to do.
Of course, I thought I needed to be there for them but instead these eight remarkable youth taught me and showed me that I needed to go for me. I say that because I used to be involved in youth work and ministry for about ten years. I stopped serving in that capacity when I decided to go into full-time pastoral ministry. That was about ten years ago and I have learned something new during this mission trip with the youth; a lot has changed in the last ten years especially in how good youth ministry takes place. Needless to say, that was just one of the many things I learned this past week from my eight teachers.
If you’re curious, I will go ahead and list some of those new things I did learn:
• A smile when you are hot and tired is worth a thousand words.
• Leaders come in all sizes and in all ages.
• Time passes a whole lot quicker when you serve side by side with someone rather than working with someone.
• Sharing a laugh at the right moment can make everyone’s workload and mood a whole lot lighter.
• Rolling down here may be itchy and dirty, but it’s can still be a whole lot of fun.
• The younger generation sometimes makes better listeners that the older generation does, especially if it is someone from the older generation speaking in the first place.
• Youth can worship no matter how loud the music may be.
• Sometimes the youth can articulate what someone else’s sermon is about better than their pastor can.
• Youth are sometimes more willing to give their last dollar for a good cause than their pastor is.

Contrary to what many people may believe about the youth of today, not every teen is only interested in themselves and expects the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. I personally can attest to the contrary because I saw eight great teachers give up a valuable week of their summer vacation to strip and repaint an old barn, pull a ton of weeds off of a 60 degree slope, and paint a metal roof in some truly unbearable heat for two families they had never ever met prior to us pulling up in their driveways. I will cherish for the remainder of my ministry and my life the time I spent this past week serving with Katrina, Benjie, and my eight wonderful teachers. Thank you for all you taught me and for allowing me to tag along with you on this mission trip.
Andrea, Ashley, Austin, Haley, Kaylee, Kimberly, Maddy, and Matthew, you have blessed me more than you will ever know this past week. I look forward to serving with you again wherever God places us together to do so. I love each and every one of you…

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.”—Philippians 1:3-4

A Little Love and Service Equals Fried Pies

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Today was the first day of my first mission trip ever. What a great and glorious day! Of course, tonight will be a FOUR Advil night because my muscles from mid-back to my shoulders are hurting something fierce. But it was all worth it! And all of this out of a day, that I really didn’t expect much too happen.
I woke up this morning and checked the weather before leaving for breakfast. It was not too promising; sixty percent chance of showers starting about eleven this morning and the rain on the radar heading this way. I talked it over with Benjie, our church’s youth director, and we both agreed we would try to get as much done before the rain came. We got to the site and surveyed what we needed to do; scrape all the paint we could off an old storage shed and re-paint it. The house belonged to a gentleman who was disabled confined to his bed. His older sister lives with them taking care of him. We were told by the mission group we are serving with that it would probably take us about a day and a half to get everything done. Somebody forgot to tell our kids that.
They hit the ground running. All eight of our church’s youth were scraping that shed like there was no tomorrow. During all of this and throughout the afternoon the older sister, Miss Rebekah, came out side to thank us time after time. The kids were working hard and she wanted them to know how thankful she and her brother were. Well, in no time the shed was ready for painting so we went ahead and got the kids painting. One problem; the mission group only gave us one gallon of paint (and it was a gallon of Kilz primer).
Needless to say, one gallon of paint among eight painters did not last long. While they were finishing up with the paint, we received a surprise. A lady across the street saw what we were doing and came over to tell us how thankful we were to see us helping one of her neighbors and then offered to make us homemade fried pies in return. We came to bless someone and now we were the ones being blessed in return by someone we weren’t even serving. I love it when God does that!
So we ate our lunch and then waited for some more paint to show up. It finally did (two more gallons of primer) and by the end of our day we had the shed looking good. All of us, especially the kids were tired and ready to head back and try to take a shower so we could get some of the paint chips out of hair and the paint off of us wherever it landed.
As we headed back, I wondered what the kids thought about their day. Did they regret coming? Were they thinking about the great job they had just finished or were they wishing they were back home laying out by the pool with their friends? It was then I remembered one of my favorite verses from being a youth counselor. First Timothy 4:12 which says, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
The youth group of Mount Gilead lived and portrayed that verse today throughout painting and scraping with not a complaint to be heard from them. On this day, these wonderful hard working kids were examples in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity to Miss Rebekah, her brother, to the neighbor with fried pies, and best of all, their proud pastor. I am truly blessed to be the pastor such a great group of young women and men. Thank you Lord for crossing my paths with theirs.

Guidance

I have a "Peanuts" daily calendar on my desk in my office at the church where I serve. I love reading the strip each and every day. Today's strip caught my eye: it's a strip where Charlie Brown has picked a flower with some petals on them. Beside him, is Linus (the strip's resident theologian) and he is watching Charlie Brown pull a petal off the flower one at a time. Each time he pulls a petal off Charlie Brown says, "She loves me. She loves me not." Just as Charlie Brown is about to finish, Linus says to him, "It is difficult for me to believe that a flower has the gift of prophecy."
After I finished reading the strip, I wondered to myself of where do people turn for guidance in their lives. Certainly not a flower, but what about horoscopes? A gut feeling, a hunch? With me, I usually start with myself (which I should know by now is not such a good idea) which sometimes work out, but there are too many times where it does not work out. It is then I wonder why I didn't start with God first or at least with those people that God has placed in my lives to help me along the way. God has been so faithful to me over the years that it should be second nature for me to turn to God anytime I need help and guidance with this life of mine. I have been especially blessed by God with a great group of friends who I can turn to anytime and any place and get the answer that will be best for me. It may not be the answer I am looking for, but I know it will be the best answer for me because that is what they want for me. I trust and believe in these people because I know they have the Spirit of the living God leading their lives and it is that same Spirit I want leading my life each and every day.
Maybe just maybe, one day with God's help, I will finally know where to turn without even thinking about it...

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understandings. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6