Christmas

26
Dec
2022

Truths to ponder in our hearts — and tell to the world

Thoughts in reflection on the Christmas gospel

Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Luke 2:19-20).

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A traditional storyteller beginning In the Arab world goes, “This happened or maybe it did not. The time is long past and much is forgot” (The Paris Review, 2018). When a story starts in such a way, like, “Once upon a time,” you know right away that it’s a fable.

When the account of Christmas starts out, “And it came to pass in those days” (Luke 2:1 KJV), I suppose some might think it one of those fanciful sorts of stories. But if you listen closer, that’s not what the Gospel writer intended us to think:

  • “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered” (Luke 2:1-3). 

Luke strove to recount history as it had actually happened. Luke was a studious man, a physician by training. He investigated everything carefully, in order to relate events “just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses.” His goal was “to write an orderly account,” wanting us to “know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed” (Luke 1:1-4).

I will admit, you’ll find all sorts of debates as to whether Luke got the historical details right. Was his timing off as to when Quirinius governed the province of Syria and when Caesar Augustus put orders in motion for registering the populace in that part of the Roman world? I’d not worry yourself over whether Luke’s historical record aligns exactly with other ancient historical records. It is good simply to take in and understand that what Luke reports to us is a historical record. This isn’t a story of “there was (or maybe there was not) a child born in Bethlehem.”  This isn’t “once upon a time.”  This is the account of how God came into our world in an astonishing way, in the birth of the Christ child. It is an account that shows how God has accomplished great wonders in and through the lives of ordinary people.  It is an inspiration to us today, as we continue to live under God’s grace, knowing that God came to be with us, among us, in person, in Jesus Christ. It is a truth that moves us to live in service to others and with confidence in our eternal future.

When we hear miracle stories from the Bible, we may come away with the impression that supernatural things were being seen and heard all the time in those days. But bear in mind, the record of the Bible tells of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years of human history. There were miraculous happenings at key times in that history, and those events etch themselves in our memories. But mostly, for God’s people long ago, just like for us today, most days things would appear more ordinary. In the book of Samuel, we are told,  “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread” (1 Samuel 3:1).  When God began speaking to Samuel as a prophet, that was highly extraordinary. Samuel’s mentor, Eli, had to help him understand what was happening, as it was so totally unexpected (1 Samuel 3:2-18). We’re typically not looking for the interventions of God in our lives. We often don’t recognize God’s interventions when they happen in the course of ordinary events. And even when God has acted in special, miraculous ways, it intersects with the actions of ordinary people in the regular course of their lives.

Think, for instance, of what transpired for Mary and Joseph leading up to the birth of Jesus. Mary received a miraculous visit from an angel, informing her that she, an ordinary young woman, had been chosen to be the birth mother of God incarnate. A child conceived by the Spirit of God himself would grow in her womb (Luke 1:26-38). Understandably, Joseph had a hard time believing that story about his fiancee–until an angel convinced him also that the supernatural really was happening (Matthew 1:18-25).  But then, things went back to normalcy.  Joseph and Mary began everyday life together in the northern town of Nazareth. And during the first months of their marriage, a very this-world sort of event interrupted their plans. The government imposed a registration. We find it inconvenient when the government imposes an annual tax filing deadline on us. When a census is done every ten years, we may find that inconvenient too. Imagine if the federal government required not just a mailed or online filing of forms. Imagine if you had to travel to wherever your family’s ancestry was first established in this country and register in person.  That was the way Rome did things back in the empire days. Registrations were a sort of census-taking, for various purposes (cf. Bible Archaeology Report, 2019).  Rome did several official “lustrums” (as they called them) during Augustus’ reign to register people for the purposes of taxation. It seems most likely, though, by the timing, that the registration that made Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem was a special registration for a different reason. Rome was commemorating the 750th anniversary of its founding and the 25th anniversary of Augustus’ reign as caesar. The Roman Senate had given Augustus the title, “Father of the Fatherland” (Pater Patriae), and Augustus called for all persons across the empire to sign their allegiance to him and to Rome (An Unusual Census Decree, 2018, also Christianity.com, 2010).  So, Joseph had to go with Mary, who carried the very Son of God in her womb, on a trip of 90 miles, to comply with an earthly government requirement.  

In the midst of what seemed the standard course of human events, God was intervening in a way few were aware of. While the powerful in this world were taking a headcount to reassert their power and control over people’s lives, God was carrying out his own plans to bring grace and hope to people’s lives–through the coming of the Prince of Peace.

God would show the blessing and strength of his plans during the course of Jesus’ life and in what transpired afterward. Jesus brought good news to the poor (Matthew 11:5). Jesus showed himself to be the way, the truth, and life (John 14:6).  Under the weight of the Roman Empire and its power, Jesus was put to death–crucified–though he had committed no sin.  But God raised him up again, “because it was impossible for him to be held in death’s power” (Acts 2:24). And because of what they had witnessed in Christ and in his resurrection, those who knew him as their Savior began  “turning the world upside down,” because they knew there was “another king named Jesus” (Acts 17:6,7)–more important and more worthy of our allegiance than any caesar or earthly ruler.

Christ’s first followers testified, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).  The gospel of Jesus was no fantasy story or hoax. The miracle of Christ’s birth and of his life on this earth and his death and resurrection–these earth-changing events were the best of good news. Convinced of the truth of Christ’s story, we today will continue spreading the good news of great joy that was first heard from angels on Christmas eve. Peace and good will from God, in Jesus, for all people on earth!

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Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
05
Dec
2022

A spirit of Advent past

Repent – for the kingdom of heaven is near

On December 4, 1981, my father delivered this Advent-themed message for a chapel service at the beginning of this holy season. It seemed fitting to post here as a spirit of Advent/Christmas past, reminding us of an important theme of the season.  Donald  Sellnow served in ministry from the 1950s to 1990s.

An Advent message

by Donald C. Sellnow

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:1-2).

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Annibale Carracci, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Repent! That’s a familiar word to anyone who knows the Bible. The prophets in the Old Testament repeatedly called for repentance. So did the Savior and his spokesmen in the New Testament. All four of the Gospels, in their opening chapters, take up the ministry of John the Baptist. John’s message was a message of repentance.

John’s message of repentance is also the keynote of the Advent season. We sometimes think of Advent as a season to be jolly … and it is that, in the proper sense of the word, to be sure. But it is also the season to repent. The violet color historically was seen on church altars and lecterns and pulpits during Advent—the same color that was used during Lent—as a reminder of the penitential nature of the season. We don’t always think of Advent in this way, but we should. Before we can really rejoice in the Savior, born for us in Bethlehem, we need to recognize our urgent need of that Savior. We need to see our sins, to realize that we are indeed wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked when we are separated from a relationship with our Lord. We need to acknowledge and confess our transgressions to the Lord.

Someone once said that the task of preaching is to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable. John, with his ministry of baptism at the river in the wilderness, certainly did that. He destroyed the comfortable; he preached the law all of its severity. He called out the proud, self-seeking, and self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees. When they came out to him in the desert, he called them “a brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7). He let them—and the many others who came out to hear him—know, in no uncertain terms, that they were sinners. Their own righteousness wasn’t good enough. They needed to repent or they would perish.

But John was not just a preacher of the law. He also and especially was a preacher of the gospel. He not only pointed out sin, but also pointed to the Savior from sin. His message of repentance intended not only to bring forth sorrow and contrition, but above all to elicit faith. So, John proclaimed loud and clear the good news about Jesus, through which the Holy Spirit works grace. John testified of the one mightier than himself, whose shoes he was not worthy to carry. He directed contrite sinners to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He comforted the disturbed.

You and I need John’s message of repentance in this Advent season too. We need, first of all, to be disturbed over our sins. Most certainly, we all have plenty of them to be disturbed about. Those Pharisees and Sadducees were not alone in their pride, selfishness, and self-righteousness. You and I have the same sins to contend with in our own hearts. How easy it is for us to think that we are somehow a little better than others, to say ourselves (if not out loud), “I could’ve done that better than she did!” or, “Why did he get that position instead of me?” How easy it is for all of us to be wise in our own conceits, and how hard it is, and true humility, to consider others better than ourselves. How often do we find ourselves asking only of our own advantage, without concern for a neighbor? Often it is, “Hooray for me!” and we let the other person look out for himself. Often, instead of bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), we are concerned only about ourselves.

And how many times don’t we all display the little Pharisee who lurks in all of us and piously pat ourselves on the back for not being like other people who into some gross and open sin? Instead, we should humbly acknowledge that there, but for the grace of God, we’d find ourselves just as lost. It isn’t only sins of pride and selfishness and self-righteousness that mar our lives. There are all kinds of other sins too. None of us can escape the lightning of God’s law. None of us can stand up before a holy God in whose sight every unclean thought is adultery, who condemns anger as murder, and who requires that our hearts be free of all evil desires.

If that disturbs you—and I surely hope that it does—then take heart. There is comfort for the disturbed—comfort in the same beautiful Savior to whom John directed troubled sinners in the first Advent season. Jesus, the Lamb of God, has taken away the sin of the world (John 1:29). That includes your sins and mine. God’s greatest Christmas gift has our names on it. For unto you, unto me, is born a Savior, Christ the Lord. He gives us the gift of cleansing from all that stains us–a Savior who gives us strength to go forward, away from sin, to walk in goodness with him.

That’s real comfort for the disturbed, comfort in the face of our sins and shame, comfort in the face of all the troubles that we inherit in this sin-affected world. For since God has given us the supreme gift of his Son, he will also, along with him, give us what we need in this life (Romans 8:32). Whatever difficulties we have to deal with (and difficulties don’t subside just because it’s Christmas time), we can look to the manger and the cross and the empty tomb. We see there how God loves us and will indeed take care of us.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” That was the Advent call in the Judean wilderness proclaimed by John, preparing the way for Jesus. That’s the Advent call still today, making straight a way into our hearts for Jesus. May the Holy Spirit use that call to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable. May he prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ incarnation at Christmas, and to welcome his return at the end of days. The Advent call convicts us of our sins, consoles us with the good news of forgiveness, and causes us to bring forth fruits of repentance in our lives.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we admit our many sins and errors. We often have been proud and selfish and loveless in our dealings with others around us. We confess our guilt and ask for your mercy and renewal. Keep us in daily repentance and faith. Move us to respond to your love with love. Prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas in true thankfulness for the greatest gift of all, and fill us with the comfort that your gospel alone can give.

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Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
22
Dec
2021

Christmas reveals God’s glory to us

Blessings to you at Christmastime, as we ponder the implications of the birth of Christ. In Christ, God’s glory and grace are revealed to us. 

The following message was delivered as a radio sermon on Lutheran Chapel Service, KNUJ radio, December 25, 2012, reprinted here for your Christmas week this year.


“The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

God’s Glory Shines with Grace

by David Sellnow

In the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, men of evil intent seek Israel’s ancient ark of the covenant, in order to harness its supernatural power as a weapon. Archaeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones strives to stop them. The climax of the movie has the bad guys overseeing a ritual to open the ark. When they do, it unleashes a glowing fireball that burns holes through people, causing faces to melt and heads to explode. Indiana Jones, there as a captive, tells his companion damsel in distress not to look at it, no matter what–it will kill you. And sure enough, everyone who looked at the insides of the ark was killed. Only Indiana and his lady friend survived.

Now, of course, that movie was a fabrication of fiction. Yet some small grains of truth underlie what Steven Spielberg brought to the screen in that make-believe story. God did strike dead some people who presumptuously looked into the ark of the covenant. It happened long ago at a place called Beth Shemesh, and prompted others to say, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” (1 Samuel 6:20)  God has shown himself by revealing his glory in fiery forms. He did, in fact, show his blazing glory from the ark of the covenant, when Solomon built his temple for the LORD in Israel. Once the ark was placed inside, “the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).   

But here is where there is a difference that Steven Spielberg (or any human being) in his wildest dreams would not have imagined. In that cloud and fire of his glory, God showed his love to people, not anger. The central feature of the ark of the covenant was not wrath; it was called “the mercy seat.” God caused no one’s face to melt or head to explode. Instead, at the dedication of the temple, God sent fire down from heaven to consume the burnt offering and the sacrifices, to show the people that their sins were forgiven and they were welcome in God’s presence, as their gifts were welcomed by him. “When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’” (2 Chronicles 7:3).

Unlike Raiders of the Lost Ark fiction, what you see in the Bible is true. When God lets his glory shine, it is primarily for the purpose of showing his saving love. God’s glory shines with his grace! 

That is what we see at God’s coming at Christmas.  The glory of God came to us, but came in the humble form of Jesus in the manger.  As John the apostle said, the Son of God came to us from the Father “full of grace and truth.”  As the writer to the Hebrews said, “The Son (Jesus) is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is “God with us,” namely “Immanuel” in Hebrew (Isaiah 7:14, cf. also Matthew 1:23). God became incarnate in Jesus to be our Savior in grace.

Let’s do a survey of Scripture, seeing how in all the time preparing for Jesus’ coming, God manifested his glory to people invariably as a shining of his grace. 

God promised Abraham: “Do not be afraid … I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1). As a way of evidencing his commitment to these promises, God involved himself in a covenant ceremony, at the center of which God’ own glory was seen as “a smoking fire pot and a blazing torch” (Genesis 15:17). God guaranteed to Abraham that his promises of blessing were all true.

God’s next manifestation of his glory appeared when the security and future of Abraham’s descendants were in jeopardy. They were facing enslavement and infanticide in Egypt. God came to Moses, appearing to him “in a flame of fire out of a bush” (Exodus 3:2), and said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt. … I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them … to a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:7,8). 

In setting his people free from Egypt, God showed this same glory to all the Israelites. “The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light” (Exodus 13:21).  When Egypt’s armies pursued them, the angel of God and the pillar of cloud “moved from in front and stood behind them,” separating and protecting them from the enemy (Exodus 14:19,20).

As Israel went further on their way, in the desert and wondering how they’d eat to survive, “they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud (Exodus 16:10). That evening “quail came up and covered the camp,” and in the morning manna was given for bread (Exodus 16:13-15).

The “glory of the LORD” next appeared at Mount Sinai, where the Law was given. But there wasn’t just law. Even when the law was given, God’s glory was evidence of his grace. God made clear he was choosing and consecrating Israel as his own people, his “treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5) among all the earth. He reminded them how he had carried them on eagles’ wings and brought them to himself (Exodus 19:4). He showed them grace and glory before and after they sinned against him with the golden calf (cf. Exodus 24 and 32-34). Finally, when they set up their tabernacle tent to worship him, God filled the tabernacle with his glory as a sign of his grace (Exodus 40:34).

In every instance, God shined his glory to point the people to his wonderful love, to how he was working out his salvation for them. The same is true of other appearances of the glory of the LORD. With “a chariot of fire and horses of fire” God took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind–graciously giving him eternal life without first tasting death (2 Kings 2:11). Isaiah and Ezekiel saw the glory of the LORD when God called them by grace to serve as his prophets (Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1). God even gave visual evidence of this grace to Isaiah by taking a token of divine glory, a live coal from the altar of heaven, touched to Isaiah’s lips by an angel with the message: “Now that this has touched your lips; your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Isaiah 6:7). That is glory, and that is grace. Forgiveness is the gift of our glorious Savior. 

Above and beyond all the dazzling appearances of God’s presence throughout the Old Testament, the greatest shining of divine glory is in the coming of Jesus. John says, “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 KJV). That Jesus is the brightest shining of all God’s glory was made clear on the night he was born into our world. The glory of God lit up the skies. “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:8,9). They were terrified, but the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Good news–of God’s grace!

Wise men in the east saw that glory of God shining too. “We observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage,” they said (Matthew 2:2). They saw the one whom Scripture calls “beautiful and glorious” (Isaiah 4:2), having been led to him by a glowing of his glory in the heavens.

Later on, Peter, James, and John would see the glory of God in Jesus when “he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white” (Mark 9:2,3). “His face shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:2). Jesus let them see his glory to bolster their faith before they witnessed his humiliation and death. 

God showed his glory also to a man named Stephen, a martyr about to be viciously killed for his faith. Stephen “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Men might kill him, but God wanted Stephen in his dying hour to know that he could not be robbed of God’s glory, for God’s grace had shown it to him.

So also at the end of the Bible, to the last apostle, God showed his glory yet again. Christ revealed himself to John, and John wrote, “His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace … and his face was like the sun shining with full force. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last and the living one” (Revelation 1:14-18).  At a troubled time at the end of the apostolic age, when Christians were being persecuted and isolated, God gave this revelation of glory as a sign of his grace. The vision revealed that the Lord was still with his church, Christ is still ruling all things, and God’s grace is still as amazing as ever.

God’s grace. God’s glory. It’s not like the face-melting, body-burning laser light show of a Hollywood movie. Instead, it is like the warm glow of heaven for us, like a candle left burning in the window of our eternal home until we can come to be there. The glory of God burns brightly in our daily lives, for God, “who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ … shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). That is God’s glory shown to us, to each of our hearts. That is how he shows himself, through the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. God’s glory shines with grace–grace that saves us, in Christ. Amen.

PRAYER:  God our Lord, Jesus Christ, when you came in the flesh to live among us, the glory of the Lord shone in the skies and angels heralded your birth.  But we know you came not to terrify us with blazing glory, but to redeem us with your glorious grace.  Keep our hearts close to you in faith always, shining your light in our lives.  Amen.


Scripture quotations, except where otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
13
Dec
2021

Living in hope (though life is difficult)

We wait for the Lord — hopefully, patiently, responsibly

Message for 3rd Sunday of Advent
by David Sellnow

Readings for the day:  Zephaniah 3:14-20, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18


Stephanie grew up under the weight of demanding, overbearing parents. Their way was always the right way, and their children were going to toe the line and become obedient, upstanding, model citizens. Stephanie’s older sister fit the model perfectly. At the strict religious school their parents enrolled them in, Stephanie’s sister got all A’s and was considered the impeccable child. Stephanie lived in her sister’s shadow, got mostly C’s, and was seen as far less than ideal. Later in life, Stephanie gave up on church, because the sternness of the church in which she was raised made her feel that who she was and how she was always was wrong. Her parents were mortified when she stopped going to church, and they distanced themselves more and more from her. Stephanie lived her life, but she lived with a sense of shame, felt like an outcast from her family, and was haunted by a lingering sense of judgment looming over her.

Derrick had labored diligently year after year. He always had a job, sometimes a couple of jobs at a time. He would do whatever he could to keep shoes on his kids’ feet and food on the table. He didn’t give a lot of attention to his own needs, because he was too busy taking care of the needs of others. If he could do that, he was happy. Then one day, the manufacturing plant where Derrick worked shut down. He found himself out of work for the first time in his life. The town where he lived with his family was shrinking. Derrick was in his mid-50s. Finding a new job was no easy task. The bills began to pile up while Derrick kept applying for any and every position (but not getting hired). He told employers in the bigger city 40 miles away that he could commute. They looked at him skeptically when he got as far as getting an interview … and that’s as far as he ever got, it seemed. Derrick began to feel worthless to anyone and a failure to his family. When he started feeling fatigued and worn down physically, he figured it was all part of how generally low he was feeling. But the physical symptoms got worse and worse. He wouldn’t go to the doctor because he no longer had insurance. He eventually did go to the emergency room–when his wife, who had struggled by his side during the difficult months, found him collapsed on the floor and had to call an ambulance. Derrick’s life had gone from stability to disaster in a short span of time. He needed help. He needed health. He needed to find hope again somehow.

Those are just a couple of stories of shame, of judgment, of disability, of disaster. What is your story? What is your shame? What makes you feel weak and lame and hopeless and helpless? What are the judgments against you that make you feel like an outcast? What difficulties and disasters have you encountered? I’m not asking you to give those testimonials here in comments/replies to this blog post.  I anticipate, though, that each of you has had (or now has or will have) tales you could tell of troubles and worries and woes. What do you do in the midst of your hurts and hardships and upheavals? Where do you turn?

Listen to the voice of a prophet calling out to you, telling you where to turn. Inspired by the Lord, Zephaniah said: 

  • The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has turned away your enemies. … You shall fear disaster no more. … Do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst. … He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love. “I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors. … I will save the lame and gather the outcast,and I will change their shame into praise. … I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord  (Zephaniah 3:14-20 selected verses).

You may be unfamiliar with the context of the times in which Zephaniah was writing. His ministry was, after all, over 26 centuries ago, around 630 BC (Christianity.com, Bible.org).   Zephaniah’s ministry likely was very early in the reign of King Josiah. Josiah came to the throne as just a boy, and later in his career sought to institute religious reforms in the nation of Judah, because the people had lost track of the law of God (cf. 2 Kings 22, 23). But those reform attempts hadn’t happened yet. Zephaniah was speaking to a nation that had been living under God’s blessing for several hundred years and was growing distant in their hearts from God. They were worshiping other things, following other priorities, with individuals seeking their own advantage and ignoring their neighbor’s needs. Sound familiar? Sound a little like our own lives in our own times? Back in those Old Testament times, Josiah’s reforms were short-lived. A couple decades after Zephaniah, the prophet Jeremiah would be speaking out again, even more dramatically. When Zephaniah called for repentance and a return to God, regular, everyday people in Judah lived under the sway of the powerful and immoral in their own nation—and they were caught up in plenty of apostasy themselves. One commentator described the cultural context as a time “of great darkness … of violence and pain,” adding: “God never brings destruction to a place or a people that haven’t already destroyed themselves” (April Motl on Crosswalk.com). As Zephaniah (and later Jeremiah) foretold, there next would come a time when the regular, everyday people of God would live under the sway of other powerful nations and people, their fates held in the hands of first the Bablylonians and then the Medes and the Persians. 

At the same time as Zephaniah prophesied impending judgment from God, however, he also gave the people a message of hope. When God judges or destroys, he does so “for the purpose of protecting or rebuilding” (April Motl on Crosswalk.com). The hope held out by Zephaniah would find some fulfillment when Judah was restored from captivity under Babylon and Persia. Hope would be fulfilled still more when the Messiah would come, when Jesus was born and brought new hope to this world. Hope will be fulfilled ultimately when Jesus comes again at the end of time, vindicating the faith of those who have continued to trust in him through all the pains and shames and sins and disasters of this life.

We are called to hope as the people in Zephaniah’s day were called to hope. That same call to hope was issued by the apostle Paul in New Testament times. When Paul wrote his letter of encouragement to the church in Philippi, he was being held imprisoned in Rome, and the Philippian church members were facing an array of troubles and persecutions.  They had judgments against them. They had enemies. They were reproached. People in their community opposed and oppressed them. But, at the beginning of his letter, Paul told them, “[God] has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29,30). Many of our churches and church members today are facing struggles and challenges of their own. You may be feeling insecurity about where things are at right now, and much uncertainty about where things are headed in the future.  But listen to the voice of Christ’s apostle calling out to you, telling you where to turn. Paul urges you, as he did the Philippians:  

  • Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7). 

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But we do know what forever holds in store for us, through our hope in Christ.  And so as we wait for Christ—for Christmas in this season and for Christ’s return to us at the end of days—we strive to live with hope in our hearts. We encourage one another to be hopeful, even when the circumstances in which we find ourselves look bleak. We wait for the Lord hopefully, hanging onto his promises as the gospel truth.

And we wait patiently … or at least try to be patient. We are, by nature, impatient people. We tend to want what we want and we want it now. If the package we ordered doesn’t arrive in a couple of days, we get irritated. If the trip to the store takes up too much time with too long of lines, we get irritated. If something we want for ourselves, for our house, for our farm or business, or for our church is not available to us right now or is out of reach of our budget or unrealistic in our present situation, we get irritated. We are impatient.

Life as it is, in the here and now, often doesn’t align with our ambitions or with the comfort and stability we want. Life is often painful and hard. Things don’t go our way. Things get in our way. Sickness interrupts health. Lack of resources limits our options. Other people don’t think the way we think they should think, or do what we want them to do. We turn from hopeful and happy to being frustrated and ornery. We may take out our frustrations against others, even those closest to us. Within our families and within our churches, each of us starts seeking our own interests rather than maintaining concern for one another and for the well-being of all. So we become less ethical, more self-centered in our own attitudes and behaviors.

Our impatience and frustrations lead us to become ungrateful, uncooperative, unyielding–all of which, of course, are the opposite of God’s call to us.  We are called to “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely and … run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Only by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) can we stay on a path of rejoicing always, displaying gentleness to everyone, not worrying about things but maintaining thankfulness. It feels so impossible for us to live in such an attitude, but we are assured: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and … minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). 

So we strive to live hopefully and to live patiently–hoping in Christ and his promises, patient with each other as we face life’s challenges, and leaning on each other as brothers and sisters. Living such a life together as God’s people calls us to live honestly, ethically, responsibly with one another.

Listen to the call of another of God’s prophets, John the Baptist. When the crowds asked John, “What then should we do?” (Luke 3:10) …

  • In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”  [When] tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” [John] said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages” (Luke 3:11-14).

You get John’s point. Be ethical. Be responsible. Be thinking of others, not just of yourselves. “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” as Jesus said (Luke 6:31). Treat everyone with respect and consideration and caring as you interact with one another. That is our calling in our communities, with every neighbor in our world. That is equally and especially our calling also within our churches, as we plan and work and do ministry together. 

Many small and medium-size churches today are facing significant challenges as they seek to carry out ministry. A national survey of churches conducted just prior to COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 found that “half of the country’s estimated 350,000 religious congregations had 65 or fewer people in attendance on any given weekend … a drop of more than half from a median attendance level of 137 people in 2000” (Religious News Service, October 14, 2021).  The pandemic has reduced worship attendance even further, standing now at about three-fourths of pre-pandemic levels as of August of this year (Baptist Standard, November 4, 2021). 

Maybe the way you’re feeling about your own life or your congregational life these days is something like the feelings of Stephanie or Derrick (whom I described at the start of this message). Feeling like you’re the outcast, the down-and-out little sister, not as good as big churches somewhere else that seem to be flourishing.  Feeling like you have labored and toiled and worked hard for many years, and now are up against challenges that have you searching desperately for resources and answers that are nowhere to be seen. Again, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We can’t cast our eyes into the near (or far) future here on earth and know exactly what plans the Lord is working out for us.  But we do have his promise “that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). And we do know what forever holds in store for us, through our hope in Christ.  And so as we wait for Christ—in this Christmas season and anticipating his return to us at the end of days—we will strive to live in dignity and love with one another. We will set our minds on thinking about things that are true and honorable and pure and pleasing (cf. Philippians 4:8), rejoicing in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). And we will set our hands about whatever tasks we can take on–to advance our relationships with one another, our care for others in our communities, and our commitment to honoring Christ in everything we say and do.

Life on this earth is not easy. It was not easy in Zephaniah’s day, nor in the days of John the Baptist and the apostle Paul.  It’s never easy.  As Paul and his missionary companions said to the members of churches they had established, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22 NIV). But we have God’s promise that he doesn’t abandon us. So we will not abandon him in our hearts, but keep trusting and hoping and persevering. We will not abandon him in our actions, but keep loving and helping and befriending. This is the life to which we are called by the prophets and apostles. This is our calling in Christ. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).  Amen.

Scripture quotations, except where indicated otherwise are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotation marked (NIV) taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Posted by David Sellnow
21
Dec
2020

Spirits of Christmas past

The Electric Gospel got its start back in the 1990s as email devotions sent to parishioners and others on a church’s email list. Then for a while, it morphed into mailings for college students around the country (when I was serving on a national campus ministry board). Several years ago, The Electric Gospel was revived in blog form, providing a place to publish writings by students in religion courses I was teaching. Now (as noted on the “About Us” page of this site), the current Electric Gospel aims to carry these devotional efforts forward to as wide an audience as possible.

For this Christmas week, I thought I’d share a couple devotional pieces that were posted on the archival Electric Gospel blog five Christmases ago (in 2015). They were written by two wonderful young women I had the privilege of working with during my years teaching college undergraduates (like Eunseo) and working with Christian teachers (like Amanda).

Have a blessed Christmas.

– David Sellnow


Four Names for the Messiah 

by Eunseo Yang

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
———-

Names have meaning. In Korean, ‘eun’ means grace and ‘seo’ means words, so my name (Eunseo) could mean “words of grace.”  In my language, 군사부일체 means king, teacher and father are one (like trinity).  It emphasizes the authority of such persons in society and that father, teacher and king offer the same merciful grace.

In Isaiah’s prophecy, although the Messiah is given four names, he is only one.

He is our Wonderful Counselor.  He himself is a wonder, and he solves for us things we cannot solve or explain.  He counsels us through troubles, overcoming them by his strength.  He guides us with his wisdom.

Since we are weak, we cannot stand against troubles on our own.  But Mighty God supports us. There is nothing he cannot do. He does miracles that are impossible to be explained by human science or power.

The Messiah is also called Everlasting Father.  What does that mean in reference to Jesus, God the Son?  The term “father” is being used like the Korean term I mentioned.  He is father in the sense of king and leader over us.  And his leadership never ends.  Jesus lives forever and leads us to life in heaven.  Jesus is with us always, in life and in death.

And this same Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  “He will reign … with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7).  Imagine no wars, no strife, no disasters. With Jesus’ kingdom, it’s not imaginary. His government is real. When Jesus rules our hearts, peace comes to us.

Jesus has many names – and every name is true. He is love itself, King of kings, our Savior. Through him we have victory against evil.

———-

Jesus, you are everything to us.  Keep our faith focused on you always, trusting your wisdom, your power, and your leadership.  Bring peace to our hearts.  Amen.


A Prophet Like Moses Will Come

by Amanda Becker

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15).
———-

It happened again, as it had happened many times before.   I had given my students directions for an important assignment.  Immediately a hand went up and a student asked the dreaded question: “So what do we have to do?”

My immediate thought was, “Didn’t I just explain this thirty seconds ago?”

Have you experienced this with your own children, family, friends, or coworkers? Have you ever found yourself asking the words: “Are you even listening to me?”

Can you imagine how Moses felt every time the Israelites didn’t listen to him and God’s commands? How many times did he have to tell them to stop worshiping false idols, stop complaining, stop mistrusting the Lord? Can’t they just follow directions?

How many times have we been like the Israelites, not listening to the Lord? How many times aren’t we like children, asking, “So, what do we have to do?” when God has already told us? But instead of turning away from us in frustration, God sent us a teacher whose word we needed most of all. He sent a prophet like Moses but better than Moses – his very own Son, Jesus. We listen to Jesus because our very souls and eternal life are at stake. The ultimate Prophet, Jesus, tells us, “Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

Are you listening to Jesus?

———-

Dear Lord, forgive me when I fail to listen to your commands. I never have to demand to be heard by you, for you always listen to my heart.  You are a God of love and forgiveness. Please help me to be a more loving listener to you and to the people in my life, and forgive me when I stumble. Amen.

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted by David Sellnow
24
Dec
2019

God’s glory shines with grace

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 7, 2019.

God’s glory shines with grace

by David Sellnow

We know that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).  The thought of seeing the light of God can frighten us.  Maybe you remember the fictionalized depiction of God’s glory melting the faces of those who opened up the Ark of the Covenant in the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Certainly, those who stand opposed to God have reason to fear his dazzling power. But the recurring theme throughout the Bible shows that when God lets his glory shine for people to see, it is most often for the purpose of showing his saving love.  God’s glory shines with grace.Holiday lights have begun to shine in neighborhoods and towns.   Christmas lights are meant to remind us that Christ is the light of the world, reminiscent also of the star that shined to welcome the birth of Christ into the world.  16th century church leader, Martin Luther, is often credited with beginning the Christian tradition of a lighted Christmas tree.  As reported by History.com, “Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.”

That is what we see at God’s coming at Christmas.  The glory of God came to us, but came in the humble form of Jesus in the manger.  The Son of God came to us from the Father “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).   Jesus “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3).  And that glory and being of God was coming to earth to be God with us as our Savior, to take away our fears.

To emphasize this truth—that God’s glory shines for us with grace—I’d like to lead you through a survey of different times when God manifested his glory to people, and how that glory was invariably a display of love and hope.

The first reading in which we find God revealing his glory and grace in such a way is Genesis 15. The LORD met with Abram and promised him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am you shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1). As a way of evidencing his commitment to the promises he’d made to Abram, God then involved himself in a covenant ceremony, at the center of which was God’s own glory, seen as “a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch” (Genesis 15:17). God shined with glory to show Abraham that his promises of blessing were all true.

God’s next manifestation of his shining glory came when the security and future of Abraham’s descendants were in jeopardy. They were facing enslavement and infanticide in Egypt. And then God came to Moses, appearing to him “in flames of fire from within a bush” (Exodus 3:2), and said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt …. So I have come down to rescue them” (Exodus 3:7,8).  In setting them free from Egypt, God showed this same glory to all the people of Israel. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light” (Exodus 13:21).   When Egypt’s armies carne after them in pursuit, “the angel of God” and “the pillar of cloud … moved from in front and stood behind them,” separating and protecting them from the enemy (Exodus 14:19,20).  As Israel got further out on its way, in the desert and wondering how they’d eat to survive, “there was the glory of the LORD” again, “appearing in the cloud” (Exodus 16:10). “That evening quail covered the camp, and in the morning” manna was given for bread (Exodus 16:13-15).

The “glory of the LORD” next appeared a number of different times at Mount Sinai, where the law was given. But there wasn’t just law–even here, God’s glory was evidence of his grace. For what God was doing there at Sinai was choosing and consecrating them as his own people, his “treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5) among all the earth. He reminded them of how he had carried them on eagles’ wings and brought them to himself (Exodus 19:4). He showed them grace and glory before and after they sinned against him with the golden calf (cf. Exodus 24 and 32-34). Finally, when they set up their tabernacle tent to worship him, God “filled the tabernacle” with his glory as a sign of gracious presence with them (Exodus 40:34).

In every instance, God shined his glory to point the people of Israel to his wonderful love, to show them how he was working out his plan of salvation for them.

The same is true of other appearances of the glory of the LORD. With “a chariot of fire and horses of fire” God took Elijah “up to heaven in a whirlwind” –graciously giving him eternal life without even tasting death (2 Kings 2:11). Isaiah and Ezekiel saw the glory of the LORD when God called them by grace to serve as prophets (Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1). God even gave visual evidence of this grace to Isaiah by taking a token of the glory of God, a “live coal” from the altar of heaven, touched to Isaiah’s lips by an angel with the message: “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7). That is glory … and that is grace—forgiveness

Above and beyond all the dazzling appearances of God in glory throughout the Old Testament, the greatest shining of his glory is in the coming of Jesus. That Jesus is the brightest shining of all God’s glory was made clear on the night he was born into our world. The glory of God lit up the skies. “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby …. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:8,9). They were terrified, but the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Good news–of God’s grace!

Later on, Peter, James and John would see “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6), when “he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white” (Mark 9:2,3), “as bright as a flash of lightning” (Luke 9:29). “His face shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:2). Jesus wanted them to see his glory, to bolster their faith before they saw his suffering and death.Wise Men in the east saw that glory of God shining too. “We saw his star and have come to worship him,” they said (Matthew 2:2). They saw the One whom Scripture calls “beautiful and glorious” (Isaiah 4:2), having been led to him by a glowing of his glory in the heavens.

God showed his glory also to a man named Stephen, a martyr about to be viciously killed for his faith. Stephen “looked up into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). Men might kill him, but God wanted Stephen in his dying hour to know that he could not be robbed of God’s glory, for God’s grace had shown it to him.

So also at the end of the Bible, to the last apostle, God showed his glory again. Christ revealed himself, and John wrote, “His eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid …. I am the Living One” (Revelations 1:14-18). At a troubled time at the end of the apostolic age, when Christians were persecuted for their faith, God gave this revelation of glory to show he was still with his church, Christ is still ruling all things, and God’s grace is still as amazing as ever.

God’s grace. God’s glory. It’s not like the face-melting, body-burning laser lightshow of a Hollywood movie. Instead, it is like the warm glow of heaven for us, like a candle left burning in the window of our eternal home, until we can come home to be there. The glory of God, as Scripture says, is when “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). That is God’s glory shown to us, to each of our hearts. That is how he shows himself–through “the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God’s glory shines with grace—grace that saves us, in Christ.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

A thought for Christmas

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 24, 2018.

A few years ago, I served as editor for a booklet of Advent devotions.   As a thought on Christmas for this year, here’s a message from that booklet as a reminder of why Christ came into this world.  My thanks to Emily Seeber for providing this holiday blog installment.  Christmas blessings to all Electric Gospel readers.

*******************

A Savior for All the Worst Sinners

by Emily Seeber

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.  

– 1 Timothy 1:15

            “At church would you rather sit next to a visitor who had received a speeding ticket or a recently released felon?”  That’s a rather awakening question for many of us as we evaluate ourselves. Society gives levels to crimes, such as warning, misdemeanor, and felony.  Unfortunately, our sinful natures like to do the same. We try to build ourselves up and convince ourselves that we are pretty good (or at least better than most).

            However, sometimes we need to remind ourselves, “Does God assign levels to sins?” Even to think of it that way misses the point of God’s law. A single sin damns a person to hell; we are all equal. God’s law reminds us that our comparison isn’t between us and others but rather between us and God.  We will never measure up.  All must say with Paul, “I am the worst.”

            But all of us “worst” sinners” have a trustworthy assurance from God, “Christ came into the world to save sinners.” God looked at this sin-ridden world and said, “Yes, you are the worst, but I love you. Here is my Son.” Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are a new creation. No longer slaves to sin but children of God: forgiven and blameless in God’s sight. Together let us share this message throughout all creation, “We are all the worst of sinners, but God didn’t leave us. In fact, he saved us.”

Questions to ponder:

  • When are times that you feel most tempted to compare yourself to others?
  • What would be ways to show love rather than judgment in such situations? 

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank you and praise you for the gift of your Son, Jesus. Please forgive me for those times when I act in judgment rather than love. Please help me to remember that I am equal to everyone around me when I am tempted to consider myself better.   In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Living in hope, not fear

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 9, 2017.

In the season of Advent, we are reminded of the hope we have in our God.  For centuries God’s people waited on the promise of the Messiah’s coming.  In lean times and dark hours, such promises from God seemed far away and uncertain; God himself seemed distant.  But God’s commitment to us never wavered, and the coming of Christ was always a certainty.  We live in hope, in confidence, in the certainty of faith, setting aside fear — because we know that God holds our safety in his hands.  He keeps all his promises.
This week’s Electric Gospel message is one filled with hope in God, who is eternally reliable.  As a child of God sings in a favorite song, “Jesus loves me, this I know. … Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong.”

Living in hope, not fear

by Laurel Hirschmann

“Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God”   (Isaiah 41:10)

I am scared of losing my faith. I put off going to sleep, knowing that as soon as I go to bed, as soon as my brain shuts down for the day, I will tempted more than I ever have been. I am plagued with thoughts that have never challenged me more in my life. I try to reassure myself. I know God forgives me. I know God sent his Son to die in my place. I know Jesus rose from the dead and will come to take me to heaven someday. I know this is the truth. I know God is real. I know all the “right” things, so why am I so terrified that I will lose my faith?

Through faith alone. By Scripture alone. In Christ alone. By grace alone.

I did nothing to earn my salvation. I am a sinful human being who fell short and could not possibly come to the knowledge of the truth except through the Holy Spirit. And God gave me his Holy Spirit. God gave me the gift of eternal life, not because I earned or deserved it. He gave this precious gift out of love, completely free of charge. I take this knowledge for granted. I say these words without recognizing what comfort they bring. I do nothing – nothing – to earn my salvation. My sinful nature keeps trying to tell me I do, that somehow it is up to me. It is trying to say, “You have to hold on. You were given the truth, but now it is up to you to keep it. Do not jump out of God’s hand—that’s your responsibility.”

I know all the “right” things, but what I fail to remember is that my faith is not left up to me. I did not come to it on my own. God chose me. He set me apart from the beginning to be his child. He tells me this countless times in his word.  Christ’s apostle assures me, saying God chose us in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love​ ​he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). Another letter in Scripture provides further assurance of this: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).  I rest my confidence in God’s promise, which proclaims: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

I do not need to fear. My faith is not up to me. It is not my feeble, shaky grip on God, but God’s unwavering, firm grip on me that keeps my faith secure. I know God forgives me. I know he sent his one and only Son to atone for my sins. I know Jesus paid the price fully. I know he rose from the dead. I know I will not lose my faith, because God promises he will not let go of me, that nothing can separate me from his love (Romans 8:39). I know God chose me, and I know I will spend an eternity with him in heaven.
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

What’s in a name?

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on December 25, 2015. As a gift for Christmas day on The Electric Gospel, an international student from one of my courses offered her perspectives on names given to the Christ child.

Four Names for the Messiah

by Eunseo Yang

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

—————
Names have meaning. In Korean, ‘eun’ means grace and ‘seo’ means words, so my name (Eunseo) could mean “words of grace.”  In my language, 군사부일체 means king, teacher and father are one (like trinity).  It emphasizes the authority of such persons in society and that father, teacher and king offer the same merciful grace.

In Isaiah’s prophecy, although the Messiah is given four names, he is only one.

He is our Wonderful Counselor.  He himself is a wonder, and he solves for us things we cannot solve or explain.  He counsels us through troubles, overcoming them by his strength.  He guides us with his wisdom.

Since we are weak, we cannot stand against troubles on our own.  But Mighty God supports us. There is nothing he cannot do. He does miracles that are impossible to be explained by human science or power.

The Messiah is also called Everlasting Father.  What does that mean in reference to Jesus, God the Son?  The term “father” is being used like the Korean term I mentioned.  He is father in the sense of king and leader over us.  And his leadership never ends.  Jesus lives forever and leads us to life in heaven.  Jesus is with us always, in life and in death.

And this same Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  “He will reign … with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7).  Imagine no wars, no strife, no disasters. With Jesus’ kingdom, it’s not imaginary. His government is real. When Jesus rules our hearts, peace comes to us.

Jesus has many names – and every name is true. He is love itself, King of kings, our Savior. Through him we have victory against evil.

  • What names that God reveals for himself in the Bible have the most meaning for you?
  • Explain why these names are meaningful for you.

Jesus, you are everything to us.  Keep our faith focused on you always, trusting your wisdom, your power, and your leadership.  Bring peace to our hearts.  Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel