Priceless Charges
I am a little later sitting down to write today. Thank You, Father, for the opportunity to get out for supper with Karen’s dad, a Korean War veteran and honoring him. It was a blessing to acknowledge his service and a pleasure spending time with family.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
It has started! I had no sooner dropped off Karen and her parents at the entrance of Der Dutchman Restaurant when the white flakes began to fall…snow! Now I understand for some people snow is a four-letter word on more than one level. I, on the other hand, love it!
You might think I’m crazy – especially since I have to drive my big yellow school bus in it – but it is par for the course. If it gets bad enough, we won’t be out in it but we are professionals who take our jobs very seriously and do our very best to be as safe as we can possibly be. Our “charges” are priceless and our dedication reflects it.
We don’t hear the word “charge” used in this context very often anymore. According to collinsdictionary.com, it is considered a countable noun and describing someone as your charge, means that they have been given to you to be taken care of and you are responsible for them.
To me, from a Biblical perspective, that sounds quite a bit like a shepherd. The first part of Isaiah 40:11 (NLT) states,
He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
Sheep are not necessarily cooperative – neither are children on a school bus. They want to get into things that are not necessarily safe for them to do. Some are just bull-headed and do what they want regardless of what they are told. Others need guidance because they are naive to the hazards of life or they are in their own little world. For them, it can just be difficult to see beyond their immediate situation.
Lord Jesus, many of us – in all walks of life – shoulder a huge responsibility to care for our charges. They may be children, but ask any pastor and they will tell you that that is not necessarily the case. Adults need shepherding, as well. May we follow Your example. May we do whatever it takes to bring our charges safely home. Amen.
Nov 11th, 2019, 8:49 pm
Lost Child!
A little extra time off this weekend and it was beneficial for rest and for getting a few things done around the house. Thank You, Father, for the restorative time down and for the strength to be productive. I am so grateful that You are always by my side.
Luke 2:41-52 (<<click to read the passage)
I have made reference in the past to some of the scary times when in the course of any given day when I worked at Kohl’s that children would become separated from their parents. From my recollection, there seemed to be as many times when the children found an associate to ask for help finding their parents and as there were times when parents sought out associates to help find their missing child.
Sometimes children were in tears being separated from their parents but the real panic took place when we didn’t know where the child was. The all too familiar “Code Yellow” would be announced as every available associate began to search for the missing child and securing all the exits. Basic identification clues would be passed along, gender, age, hair color, what they were wearing, etc. If it took too long, it could get pretty scary! We always found the child but still, parents were so afraid of all the could-have-beens.
Can you imagine being the parents of Jesus? Now remember this wasn’t your typical 12-year-old boy…this was God’s Son and even from the beginning, many had pointed Him out as the long-awaited Messiah. And they had lost Him!
The Amplified Bible uses the word “anxiously” to describe their search when they first discovered that he is not with them. One thing to keep in mind, most often when traveling to and from Jerusalem for these big events they would travel in large caravans – safety in numbers, you know. And as my Life Application Study Bible states,
“At age 12, Jesus was considered almost an adult, so he probably didn’t spend a lot of time with his parents during the festival.” In these caravans, “The women and children usually would travel at the front…with the men bring up the rear. A 12-year-old boy conceivably could have been in either group, so Mary and Joseph probably assumed that Jesus was with the other one.”
Right up front, none of the three were guilty of any wrongdoing. Mary and Joseph were responsible parents and Jesus was a responsible child. But it didn’t lower the anxiety level having this knowledge.
So, they were already one day out when they discovered His absence. And they didn’t find Him until three days later!
When they saw Him, they were overwhelmed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Listen, Your father and I have been [greatly distressed and] anxiously looking for You.”
They were rattled for sure! But Jesus wasn’t the least bit ruffled. He had done nothing wrong. He had not deliberately upset them.
And He answered, “Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house [or had to be occupied with My Father’s business]?”
They really didn’t understand it all but Jesus “was continually submissive and obedient to them”.
In our own relationships with Jesus, we may not understand everything but we can trust Jesus to know what is going on. Even though we may not be able to grasp the “whys”, He does and grasps them in their entirety! We are in the best of care in His hands!
Nov 10th, 2019, Sun, 6:35 pm
What’s at the Center of Your Christmas?
Today begins a brief respite from a normally heavy schedule – three-day weekends are always a blessing. Help us, Father, to make the most of it. Amen.
Luke 2:36-40 (<<click to read the passage)
I feel that I need to sort of wrap up the whole leading into Christmas thing that begins with Luke 1. The last part of Luke 2 jumps several years ahead, to where Jesus was 12 years old.
So at least from Luke’s perspective, baby Jesus has entered the world and he is moving on to the next big event in Jesus’ life (Matthew’s Gospel is the only one to include the visit of the magi from the east.)
So back to Christmas…so that’s it? We are witness to Jesus’ birth, the manger, the angels’ visit to the shepherds and the shepherds’ visit to see the baby. Many times, I have included Simeon and Anna’s interaction with the Christ Child in my Advent sermon series but for some, even those encounters are pushing it when it comes to Christmas.
Right up front, don’t feel that once again your expectations of Christmas have let you down. Christmas is what Christmas is supposed to be – no more, no less. It is solely the celebration of Jesus coming to be with us – Immanuel, God with us.
I was talking with a friend this morning and she expressed how she struggles with Christmas. Her struggle is with the fact that we have made it to be way more than what it was ever supposed to be. It seems that it has become all about spending as much money as possible – regardless of how far it pushes us into debt – so that everyone gets what they “want” (not necessarily just what they need). It’s all about who can out-do everyone else with gifts and baking and decorating and parties and on and on and on.
And the question we have to ask ourselves is, “Where is Jesus in all of that?” We like to think that because He gave so much in coming to be with us that we, in turn, have to give a bunch, too. But we can’t…and really we shouldn’t. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with giving but we just need to keep it balanced and in a proper perspective.
This year before we even really get there – though retail is already beating there “Christmas” drums loud and long…got to start filling those coffers and getting ahead of everyone else! Before we even really get there…stop…take a big breath…look around and determine that Jesus is going to be the one that drives Christmas this year – not gifts, not your cookies or your parties – Jesus Himself, our Lord and, yes…our Savior…for that is why He came. We were lost and only He could find us. We were damned and only He could save us. So, what’s at the center of your Christmas? May it be Jesus for isn’t He the one that started it all? May it be so in each of our lives. Amen.
Nov 7th, 2019, Thurs, 3:25 pm
Pay Attention!
David Shannon- “Pay Attention (David Goes to School)” Giclee Print 1999
Father, my days are full of opportunity. Along with must-do responsibilities, You are opening doors for other things as well. May I be wise in the investment of the time that You give me. Amen.
Luke 2:36-40 (<<click to read the passage)
I don’t think any of us really feel like we were the best possible parents to our children. We do our best and for the most part, things pan out pretty well, though some of our quirky ideas don’t always turn out the way we may have expected them to. It was no different for our parents or their parents before them. In the end, it is up to us to take what we are given, not just from our parent’s input, but from all of our life experiences and make the best use of it.
One thing I stressed to Massey – and I think he embraced it and he has benefited from it – is to be aware of the world around you. So many people out there are clueless – on the road, in conversations, in work relationships, etc. Of course, parenting falls in this arena, too.
We must be alert to all kinds of things about us and in reality, it takes a conscientious effort to be able to take it all in and then process it.
The prophetess Anna in today’s passage was one of those kinds of people. There are any number of things she could have done but upon the death of her husband, she chose to live out her life – up until this point when she was 84 years old! – in and about the Temple. It says in verse 37,
She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
She chose to be attuned to everything around her and as God would have it,
She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. v38
I don’t know if you are that type of person, as well, but if we spend enough time with God and are diligently seeking to be about His business, it will come to us. The more time we spend doing something or being with someone, the more attuned we become to those things and that person.
I know that I have not gotten to that point of perfection to which God has called me. But as the old Gaither children’s song goes,
He’s still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me
Lord Jesus, may my heart, soul, mind, and strength all be attuned to You and Your will for my life. Amen.
Nov 6th, 2019, Wed, 6:32 pm
Joy Comes with the Morning!
Father, as I look out the office window, joy springs up in my heart This morning was cold and rainy. Now it is cool and bright! Most of the leaves are down but the day has moved forward from dismal to cheery! Our lives can reflect the same in You – all praise and honor to You, Father!
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
The shepherd boy David, who became one of Israel’s greatest kings, was more than a shepherd, more than a warrior, more than a king, and he excelled at all of those things – he was also very gifted in expressing himself in his writings. Hear his inspired words recorded in Psalm 30:4-5 (NLT),
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
Praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
How often in life are our eyes downcast from the circumstances in which we find ourselves. I will agree that ofttimes our “weeping…through the night”, may seem to last for an eternity. Many trials in this life overwhelm us – the passing of loved ones, crumbling of relationships, loss of jobs, shattering of dreams…need I go on?
It may never seem to end…but it does. The cold and rain do not last forever. “Joy comes with the morning” as the dismal, disheartening elements give way to the brightness and warmth of joy!
We most assuredly serve a mighty God. And regardless of the roads, we must travel, He is with us all the way. The portion of Hebrews 13:5 (AMP) states,
“I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
We are blessed beyond measure even in the midst of the storms of life. Again, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Amen and amen!
Nov 5th, 2019, Tues, 1:08 pm