Kissed by the Spirit

“As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut; you were not washed with water or anointed; you were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in swaddling clothes. No eye looked on you with pity or compassion to do any of these things for you. Rather, on the day you were born you were left out in the field, rejected. Then I passed by and saw you struggling in your blood, and I said to you in your blood, “Live!”( Ezekiel 16:4-6)

Ezekiel uses strong words to describe the pitiful, raw scene of a forsaken newborn infant, lying in its blood, with uncut cord, unwashed and struggling to breathe. These words were written metaphorically at the time, to reveal God’s desire to nurture His people, the Israelites. Jesus, by example, made it clear that His Father desires to nurture every living soul, from all nations, cultures, and ethnic origins. 

This scripture came to my mind one day, while I was driving, as I saw a  goose lying dead on the side of the road. It was obvious that it was hit by a car. The image of a creature that was created to soar graciously through the air, but instead, was lying dead, with mangled wings, was so sad to see. There is something heart breaking when any life form is unable to do what it was created to do.

We are wingless creatures of God’s creation, but we were created to soar in faith, hope and love, during our time here. I wondered if God sees people in the way I saw that poor goose. God wants us to soar in whatever way He created us to soar. 

In Ezekiel’s brutally raw description, scripture often uses physical imagery to describe a spiritual or emotional condition. The wording indicates that God was “passing by” and saw the infant struggling to live. 

God doesn’t cause anyone’s trauma, affliction or abandonment, nor does He inflict tragedies upon people, but He certainly seeks out those who are outcasts, abandoned and suffering, in order to speak new life to them. 

Over and over in Old Testament scripture, God is depicted as a parental figure, and in this case, He shows His compassion for a helpless infant, gasping for breath, struggling and squirming to survive, and says,

“I saw you struggling in your blood, and I said to you in your blood, Live!”

I believe that God is speaking to every human being through this scripture, calling us wherever we are, to rise up and  “Live.” 

Even when people resist His call, and abandon themselves, God is the good Father, who never gives up. 

Ezekiel’s imagery describes a helpless new born, not a rebellious man or woman, doing evil or committing various sins. This passage of scripture reveals that God sees people as helpless children, who He wants to pick up and raise as His own, as one would raise an adopted child.

We may see some people as lost causes, but God sees sons and daughters.  Some were cast out by society, but others have cast themselves out, through ignorance or rebellion, but God’s desire is to pick them up wherever they lie and wash them clean. By grace He forgives, adopts, nurtures and makes them new. It’s a message meant for everyone to hear. 

I was once sharing my faith with an atheist many years ago, and he said that he wanted nothing to do with an ego driven God, who demands to be worshipped. It left me speechless, because I wondered how anyone could have such a perception of God, as egotistic and demanding worship.

The scripture today reveals a God, who sees Himself as a father to all outcasts. He picks up the discarded ones in the world, and nurtures them back to health, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and His motive is pure parental love, not egotism. 

During my years in the Pentecostal church, I knew several people who once lived as outcasts, but after surrendering themselves to Jesus, were transformed. I remember a man named Jim, who lived the first half of his life as a heroin addict, on the streets of Chicago, until he heard the message of the gospel, and surrendered his life to Jesus. He found the loving arms of His heavenly father, and like the baby in today’s scripture, Jim was picked up by the Lord, washed, and healed through rehab, never touching drugs again. He found who he was meant to be, and soared in faith, hope and love, serving God and ministering to others for the rest of his life. 

God loved us first, asking nothing in return. He finds us, we don’t find Him. He offers us His fatherhood, friendship and a family of believers during this life and for all eternity. 

The same parental instincts are placed within each of us, because we were created in God’s image.

Lord, we love you, because you first loved us. Thank you for washing us in the waters of forgiveness and baptism. Help us to soar in faith, hope and love, showing compassion to those around us who are suffering as outcasts. Amen

“For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”

1 John 3:20-21 (ESV)

It seems that John is saying that there are times when our hearts falsely condemn us, but God is greater than our hearts. We were meant to live in a confident relationship with God, through Jesus.  He knows our hearts and we know His love for us, so there are no secrets. We can walk in confidence, knowing that He loves us and gave Himself for us.

Life is a series of memories and moments which mold and make us who we are today. Days, weeks, months and years are condensed into key moments, that form our self image and how we develop our faith and trust in God over time.

We remember moments throughout our life spent with family and friends, as well as the sad times of saying our last goodbyes to our loved ones and friends. Not all memories are profound ones, yet some stay with us, and subtly form a part of our faith journey. 

I recall one, when I was very sick with a stomach virus, and too weak to care for my four month old twins. At the time, my husband was on strike and had an obligation to his union, to go to the picket line that day. With no one else available to help, I managed to dress the babies, pack a diaper bag with bottles, and gave it to my husband, sending the babies with him to the picket line. 

A newspaper reporter who was covering the workers’ strike that day,  came by and took a picture of the twins in their stroller, with their father, and the neighborhood newspaper headline read, “Striker does double duty on picket line.” It was an amusing, memorable moment for our family, but I was also grateful that God helped me rest and recover, providing a way for the babies to be cared for that day.

I like to listen to peoples’ stories, and I have learned that everyone has key moments, or turning points that influenced their faith and trust in God. Some moments helped them grow in confidence of their faith, while others left them feeling self condemnation. John’s words reminds us that feeling condemned in our hearts, is not from God, since God is greater than our hearts. Paul also said that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

The collection of moments stored in our memories, were meant to lead us to a deeper, more confident journey of faith and friendship with Jesus.

People who had near death experiences, who died for a number of seconds, but brought back to life, all reported similar stories. During those few seconds of death, they all saw their lifeless body where it laid, as their spirit or soul was drawn upward from it. They all experienced going through a tunnel, toward a bright light, and they all saw some sort of a life review, like a brief video reflecting their key moments, both joyful and sad ones. Though they died for only seconds, they felt like they were in that state of being for hours. 

That life review is derived from the key moments of our lives, which all connect to form our journey of faith. We have all had moments when we were moved deeper in our level of faith, and moments when our faith was tested by unexpected sorrows and losses. There were moments when we missed what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell us, and others, when we heard Him and responded, in a way that positively changed someone’s life for good.

If we watched a video of all the key moments of our lives, some would make us laugh and some would make us cry, some would give us a sense of satisfaction and others a sense of shame, but there is a prevailing theme that runs through all the moments of our lives, and that is, the boundless “grace of God.”

As we lean on the everlasting arms, clinging to Jesus, whether our faith waxes or wanes, He stays with us through every storm. When we feel downhearted, He lifts our head up and we keep moving forward. God’s grace and strength is perfected through our weakest moments. When our heart condemns us, we remember John’s words that God is greater than our heart.

In those redemptive moments, our confidence in Christ’ love is secured within us. If we lack confidence in God’s love, it’s a false sense of self condemnation, and we have His word as our truth. We all need to be reminded;

“By grace, we are saved through faith, and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The tiniest seed of faith, planted in Jesus, opens up a boundless fountain of mercy and grace which He generously pours out upon us. I know from experience that when we anchor our hope in His love, we receive many fresh starts, and He forgives our failures and mistakes. We do not let our heart condemn us, because God is greater than our heart. The divine love of God offers us an abundance of grace and mercy, which we could never earn, because it is His gift to us.

We were made to live forever, and this present life is the brief time we are given to make key moments out of difficult circumstances. When we live in confidence, we use our time left, to build up one another and we discover the good in others that we at first, missed. We are creating key moments that will last forever, in that final reel, called Our life.

Lord, thank you for your gift of grace, and your love which gives us confidence to make many fresh starts, so that we keep doing better, creating key moments in our lives that will bring honor and glory to you. Amen

“I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”

Job 19:25 (NIV)

When Job lost his children, all his crops, his livestock and everything he owned in one day, his response was, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth.” Job lost everything he had that was visible, and yet his faith and hope was anchored in the One who was invisible. God is only one invisible anchor in the world.

Job’s story teaches us that there is a kind of knowing that transcends the intellect. Knowing that our Redeemer lives, doesn’t require a degree or a higher education. No one could persuade or convince us, because it’s a revelation of grace and an assurance that resides deep within us. Through Jesus, it is possible to know and say with the same fortitude and conviction of Job,

“I know that my Redeemer lives.”

All good things are not limited to what we can see with our eyes. There are many benefits, which are very real to us, which are not visible.

Peace is not something we can touch or see, but we can definitely know it and feel its effect. We may see it reflected in someone’s demeanor, or have a sense in the eye of our storm, that God is with us. The bible refers to a kind of peace that passes all understanding. That means when everything looks like we should have no peace, we still do have peace. It is an invisible benefit, from an invisible God, but is beyond any human understanding.

The same goes for faith, hope, love and joy, which are not tangible things that we can hold in our hands or see with our eyes, and yet we personally know the effects of them in our lives, because within us dwells our soul and spirit. The soul and spirit knows what our bodies cannot see or touch.

Another invisible benefit given to us is guardian angels, who constantly look out for our physical safety and guide us toward salvation. Although we don’t see angels, they are a benefit given to help us during our life journey.

We experience the benefits of these invisible gifts and many more, each day, which makes a huge difference in how we cope with situations that put our faith to the test. If we are  depending only on what we can see, we will quickly become deceived and discouraged. 

I remember a simple moment of truth that occurred about a year ago. I went to a neighborhood concert alone, during the Christmas season. Afterward, I was walking back to the public garage, and noticed that all the people walking to that same garage, were couples. For a brief moment I felt a little strange being the only single person, walking alone. 

In my mind, I said to Jesus, “Lord, I know you’re with me, even though I can’t see you, and I also know that you’re all the man I need at this stage of my life, but in moments like these, I have to admit that it would be nice to have a man walking beside me.” 

I felt Jesus answer someplace within my soul or spirit, as He said, 

“I am walking beside you.” 

I realized that my desire for someone to walk beside me at that moment, was more for appearances, rather than a desire for a relationship. It started me thinking about how those invisible blessings compare to the visible ones. Couples may visibly appear united, but in reality they might be very divided, since appearances can be deceiving. The things that are visible are not always what they appear to be. 

Faith, hope, love, peace and joy, are the invisible benefits, that we can know, as we experience and illuminate their effects to others.

The more we learn of His invisible benefits, the more beautiful our invisible God becomes. May we always be able to say, by faith and not by sight, as Job said, 

“I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Lord, help us stay aware of the many invisible benefits of our faith in you. Remind us that you are always walking beside us. Amen

“David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today. Blessed is your good judgment and blessed are you yourself. Today you have prevented me from shedding blood and rescuing myself with my own hand.”

1 Samuel 25:32-33 (NAB)

Although David was anointed by the prophet, Samuel, to become the next king, the current king, Saul, was not willing to give up his throne. Instead, he set out to kill David, forcing him to live as a fugitive along with the men who were loyal to him. 

While David’s men were encamped in the wilderness of Carmel, they met some shepherds who were tending their master’s sheep. David and his men were protective and kind toward the shepherds, who worked for a very wealthy land owner. 

Nabal, the land owner, who had thousands of livestock in the area, had a reputation for being harsh and bad mannered. He was married to a woman named Abigail, described as intelligent and attractive. The custom of arranging marriages in those days, often resulted in mismatched couples like Nabal and Abigail. 

(1 Samuel 25:3)

Since David and his men were kind to Nabal’s shepherds, not knowing his reputation, he sent some men to ask Nabal for food to eat. Nabal’s response was extremely rude and disrespectful to the messengers, chasing them away saying, “Who is David that I should care about him?” 

David’s anger was triggered when he heard about Nabal’s response. He was living with multiple stressors at the time, trying to care for and protect the men who were loyal to him, living as fugitives, while dealing with the natural challenges of survival in the wilderness. 

Even though he was anointed and called to be the next king of Israel, that dream seemed far off. Between Saul’s many attempts to kill him and Nabal’s unprovoked meanness, David was pushed to a breaking point, and he impulsively reached for his sword as Nabal’s response tipped him over the edge. David and his men headed out to retaliate against Nabal. 

Abigail heard about what Nabal did and immediately had her servants prepare a package filled with loaves of bread, raisin cakes, figs, fruits and wine. She headed out to meet David first, to ask forgiveness for Nabal’s offenses, by bringing David a peace offering of food and wine for him and his men. 

David’s high calling to be the next king, was overshadowed by his frustrations of living as a fugitive. While waiting for certain doors to open in our lives, or for our dreams to be realized, it’s during the hardest times that we may gain the most valuable wisdom. The best character building lessons come during the tests and trials in the waiting stage of our journey. 

When Abigail met David, she dismounted from her donkey and bowed down before him, asking forgiveness for her foolish husband. Abigail had remarkable wisdom and patience, and her peace offering caused David to pause. Then she gently reminded him of his higher calling, and that his kingdom will be a lasting one. Abigail persuaded David to trust in God, and not tarnish his soul or taint his calling, by taking revenge and shedding blood.

She redirected David to his more noble nature, encouraging him to trust in the Lord, instead of acting on  impulse. Her gift of calming words brought peace and wisdom, and she prevented David from needlessly shedding blood. He was touched by her insight, and turned from his wrath. As a result, David rescued himself from himself. There will be times when everyone, in some way,  needs to rescue themself from themself.

God spoke to David through Abigail, to leave everything in His hands. Soon after, Nabal died of a stroke, Saul eventually died in battle, and David was finally crowned King of Israel. Abigail’s intelligence led her to trust in God, speak with wisdom and be a peacemaker. God blessed her later by making her a queen, when King David returned to Carmel and proposed marriage to her.

We may not be called to be kings or queens, but we are all called to be ambassadors for Christ and peacemakers in this world. Like Abigail, we are His messengers, certified by our baptism, to bring His peace to the world in whatever way we are called to do so. 

(2 Corinthians 5:20)

We will probably encounter many Nabals in our lifetime, and some will challenge our patience more than others. Like David, our dreams may be delayed or put on hold, by some unpleasant people or circumstances, but God will fulfill His plans and promises in His perfect timing. 

Abigail teaches us to look at the whole picture, reminding us that we all have a higher calling. The Holy Spirit leads us all to our more noble side, calling us to be peacemakers, as Jesus said, 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

(Matthew 5:8)

Lord, help us to see the bigger picture in every situation, and to focus on our higher, more noble calling, as your Spirit leads us in wisdom, to be His peacemakers in this world. Amen

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

1 John 5:4 (NIV)

My mother passed away seventeen years ago, peacefully in her sleep, at the age of 92. Three years ago, I learned that one of her dearest friends passed away at the age of 102. Although I learned of Elsa’s death too late to attend her funeral service, her family recorded the whole service on a You Tube video.

I watched the funeral video and as I listened to each of her relatives give a touching eulogy, it was obvious that she had a wonderful life, surrounded by family and friends, for her 102 years. In my personal memories of Elsa, I’ll never forget that she had numbers permanently stamped on her forearm. 

Elsa grew up in Europe, in a religious Jewish family, but she was sent to a concentration camp either in her teens or early twenties, during the Holocaust. She alone survived among her immediate family, who were all killed by the Nazis. I cannot recall the details of how she finally escaped, but somehow she safely emigrated to America, after the terrible suffering of her early life. 

Eventually, Elsa married, had a family and lived a long, fulfilling life here. In watching her family’s eulogies on You Tube, I found it unusual that not one of the eulogies ever made mention of her experience as a young woman, being in a concentration camp. 

After wondering about the possible reasons, I realized that her early life of suffering was not being ignored, but that the person she had become was so much more meaningful than the tragedy of her earlier life.

It made me aware that we all have  meaning in this world, and we are more than the sum of the tragedies we have overcome. 

Each eulogy described who she was to that particular family member and how much love she brought into their lives. I remember once visiting her in her home years ago, and she repeatedly told me how much she loved and missed my mother, who had passed away. She and my mother worked together for fifteen years, and remained close friends after retirement. 

I didn’t know Elsa as well as my mother did, but I could see that they both had the same resilient, positive attitude, with a very loving spirit. Elsa was there for my mother when my oldest brother, my mother’s first born son, died in a plane crash at the age of 35.

As I listened to the last and final eulogy, I imagined Elsa and my mother having a joyful reunion in heaven. People may go through unspeakable suffering in their lives, but through resilient faith, they become a pillar of strength and love for others. God is able to turn our mourning into joy, with unexplainable graces if we keep trusting in Him. 

Those numbers on her arm were a permanent reminder of the evil that exists in this world, but those numbers didn’t define her, because Elsa lived the rest of her life as an overcomer, not a victim. The person she became during her long life, overshadowed the loss and suffering in her youth. Everyone has the potential to become living examples of God’s lovingkindness, which overcomes evil. 

Elsa received the gift from God to live longer than a century. She overcame with faith, hope and love. She might have been a victim of hatred, but she didn’t succumb to hating. She didn’t live her life as a victim, but rose above it, being kind and loving. Elsa and my mother had totally different faith backgrounds, but they had one thing in common, being overcomers.

God gave each of us the potential to overcome our fear with faith, our despair with hope, mourning with joy, and chaos with peace. Paul wrote, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

(Romans 12:21)

Lord, help every reader to begin this new year as overcomers, filled with your Spirit, reflecting your love and kindness to others through all the days that you have granted us. Amen

“At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in the portico of Solomon.”

John 10:22-23 (NASB)

The Feast of Dedication, is also known as the Feast of Lights, most commonly known as Hanukkah. 

This year the first day of Hanukkah began at sundown on Christmas Day. This winter holiday has been celebrated by Jewish people for centuries. Tonite the seventh candle will be lit on menorahs around the world.

Today’s scripture is rarely a part of any church sermons, but it gives us an unusual image of Jesus walking by Himself in the Jewish temple during the festival of Hanukkah.

After reading this, I wondered what Jesus was thinking about, as He walked in solitude, through the temple that day.  Maybe He remembered the many Hanukkah festivals that He used to celebrate with family and friends, growing up in Nazareth.

Hanukkah began in 167 B.C. in the ancient city of Modi-in, Israel, with a Jewish priest, named Mattathias. 

He was the first one to spark the resistance to an oppressive tyrant ruler, who prohibited Jewish worship and desecrated their temple. Years later, the priest’s five sons, John, Simon, Judah, Eliezer, and Jonathan, known as the Macabees, won the resistance, recaptured Jerusalem, and cleansed the temple, preparing it for worship again. 

In order to celebrate the people’s freedom to worship, the Macabee brothers planned to light the temple lamps, but according to Mosaic law, only a special, purest quality of oil could be used for lighting those lamps. They had enough oil for only one day, but the oil miraculously lasted eight days, which is why Menorahs are lit for eight days every Hanukkah. The middle 9th candle, is used to light the other 8.

The miracle of lights happened in the winter, during the darkest time of the year. Something about this holiday was special to Jesus, since He was very contemplative as He walked in the temple that day. Maybe He was thinking about spiritual darkness and suffering of people, and the world’s need for His Father’s divine light to pierce the darkness. 

Since Jesus observed Hanukkah, even Christians can learn something from the Hanukkah story. He talked about lamp lighting in His sermons and parables, where He warns us not to hide our lamps or become too spiritually drowsy and run low on oil. In those days, a lamp required oil to stay lit, and in scripture, oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew’s gospel is the only one that contains the parable of the ten virgins- five wise, who had oil for their lamps and five foolish, who fell asleep and didn’t. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Through these parables, Jesus tells us to stay alert through prayer, so that our light can shine in the dark places of this world, instead of being hidden under a bushel. 

(Matthew 5:15)

The Menorah represents the power of light to pierce the spiritual darkness in the world. Jesus is still present in the world through His church, since His light is in us and shines through us. He is like that 9th center candle on the Menorah, that lights all the others. 

Maybe He was thinking about the Hanukkah story when He told His followers that He is the light of the world, and whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness. Then He went even further, saying that we are also the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

Sometimes the circumstances in our lives make it hard to focus on oil, lamps or shining our light. As Jesus walked in the temple on that Feast of Lights holiday, what if He was praying for us, and generations of believers yet to come? Maybe He prayed that we would look to Him for strength, and keep oil in our lamps, as we face life’s many challenges and trials. 

The essence of the Macabees story is to stand firm on the truth of what we believe and who we believe in, knowing God is the source of our strength. As we cling to Jesus, He fills our lamps with oil, one day at a time. He did it for the Macabees and He will do it for us. We are all living Menorahs, with God’s light within us, which pierces through every kind of wintery darkness.

Lord, help us to shine as living Menorahs throughout this new year, piercing the darkness wherever you have placed us, as we continue drawing our strength from you. Amen

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU  LIVING MENORAHS

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16 (RSV)

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored?”

Matthew 5:13 (RSV)

Jesus told us we are to be both salt and light. Light can be seen, but not heard, and salt flavors food, which is tasted, but not seen. It sounds like Jesus is telling us that light and flavor leave more of an impact than words. Even the most subtle action can shine His light and leave a flavor of Christ with someone forever.

Before we can touch anyone around us, with light or salt, we first have to be impacted by it ourselves. Once we have experienced the love, mercy and forgiveness of Christ, we will spread the flavor of Christ and shine His light, as we mingle with others. 

Spreading light and salt requires involvement with others, beyond going to church each week. It may start there, by personally receiving the love and forgiveness of Jesus, but then we are called to go out into the world and find a way to pay it forward to others.

Salt permeates the food by leaving its flavor. We never know how a little of our salt is impacting someone else’s life. We may unknowingly leave a flavor of salt or shine our light, so that it permeates and changes someone’s life for good.

Salt also has a preservative effect on food, which means one kind deed will be remembered for a lifetime in someone’s memory, even if they spoke very few words with that person. Something about them remains with us in a positive way, because they left a flavor of Christ with us. 

Based on Jesus’ words in today’s scriptures, God intended for us to be reflecting His light and leaving His flavor with others, which happens with or without words. I believe most people are totally unaware of how much they have influenced others to deepen their faith. I can think of a few people who have influenced me before I surrendered my life to Christ. I recently learned about a person who was influenced by something I said or did, decades earlier. 

I had an acquaintance in college, named Yoshi, who was born in Japan, but lived in Chicago, and had been brought up in the Buddhist faith. During the period of time in my college years, I was very enthusiastic about my new found joy of living for Christ. A personal relationship with Jesus was a totally new concept to me, and I used to freely talk about it with anyone, if the subject came up. 

I shared my faith with Yoshi for the brief time that I knew him in college. 

I remember he visited my church as well as the campus Christian group a few times, but we eventually lost contact and went our separate ways. I went on with my life and he went on with his, and I never thought much about Yoshi again. 

Recently, Yoshi’s path crossed the path of my brother in law, where they met at a church meeting.  Yoshi shared his story with my brother in law of how he become a Christian, actively practicing his faith for many decades. He told my brother in law that I was the person who influenced him to convert to Christianity. 

When my brother in law told me about meeting Yoshi, I remembered him, but was surprised that he so embraced Christianity enough to convert. I also have no idea how I made an impact on him in that brief period of time, but I was glad to hear he stayed with his faith all of those years. 

Yoshi’s outcome gives me hope that the Lord may use someone else one day, to shine a little light or salt the life of some of my own relatives, who currently do not believe in God at all. Sometimes the right stranger can influence a person more than the closest relative can. God uses all people but the Holy Spirit does the real miracle, in His own time.

There are also many other ways that a person’s light shines and their salt leaves a flavor to impact others, but it doesn’t always involve conversions to Christianity. There are many true stories about people who showed amazing grace, and forgave others who caused life altering injuries or the death of a loved one. The Spirit of God within us, helps us to shine His light of forgiveness and spread the flavor of His mercy to others.

It could even be a kind deed that is done for someone in desperate need, or by forgiving someone after being wronged by them in some way. The light and salt we share, stays with a person, impacting them for years, according to God’s divine purpose. 

This is a very small example, but I felt God’s mercy through it. A few weeks ago I was backing out of the church parking lot on a week day, and accidentally scratched the car parked next to me. I felt terrible and a friend who was in the parking lot at that time, came over to look at the scratch. I asked if he knew whose car it was, and he thought it might belong to one of the teachers, since there is a grade school affiliated with our church. 

So I went to the school office, and explained what happened, leaving the license number of the scratched car, along with my name and phone number.  The next day, I received a voicemail message on my phone. It was the teacher who owned the car and she left the following message:

“This message is for Maria. Thank you for leaving your name and number, but it’s just a scratch, so please don’t worry about it and have a Merry Christmas.” 

I never met or knew the woman whose car I scratched, but I was impacted by her forgiveness. I left her a message thanking her. If I ever meet her, I’m sure I would greet her with a hug. I was preparing myself to have an insurance claim, and pay for the repairs, but instead, I received a taste of mercy. 

Some people are like light and salt, who, through their actions, shine His light and leave a flavor of God’s mercy everywhere they go, like that teacher. She took one action, and it was in forgiving me, which means more than words. Some day it will be my turn, to pay it forward and show mercy to someone else who has wronged me, whether it’s something done deliberately or by mistake. 

Thank you Lord, for the unique way you use each one of us as salt and light in this world. Help us to always reflect your light of forgiveness and spread the flavor of your mercy to others. Amen

“In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.”

Acts 1:1-2 (NAB)

These are Luke’s introductory words as he wrote what became a two volume work. The first volume is known as the gospel of Luke, followed by volume two, the Acts of the Apostles. He recorded the entire progression of events that happened from the birth of Jesus to the early church ministry, decades after Jesus ascended to heaven. 

Luke gathered all his facts from eyewitnesses, telling his friend,  Theophilus, “I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.” (Luke 1:3)

If it wasn’t for Luke writing down an “orderly account from the beginning”,  for his friend, we would have no knowledge of the amazing events that occurred on the day of Pentecost, or Paul’s dramatic conversion and the ministry of the early church.

Luke was a Greek gentile, who converted to Christianity in the year 51 A.D.  He was considered the only New Testament writer who was clearly identified as a non-Jew. 

Every other writer of the New Testament was a Jewish convert. Luke was from the city of Antioch, in Syria, which today is in Turkey, so he didn’t grow up in the holy land. 

Antioch was once the center of Hellenistic Judaism, until it became the cradle of Christianity. It’s the first place that the name “Christian” was created and commonly used. At that time period, Antioch was the third largest city in the world and a center for all the arts and sciences, and was comparable to New York City in our nation today. 

Luke was a trained physician from Antioch who worked as a doctor. Unlike Matthew and John who wrote their gospels from eyewitness experiences, Luke never met Jesus personally, but he meticulously interviewed many of those who did. Historians know that Luke traveled to Jerusalem and spent time with the Apostles and the mother of Jesus. It would have been natural for Luke to learn the earliest details directly from Mary. 

As he became a close friend to many eyewitnesses, Luke gathered information based on his interviews, which is probably why his gospel contains the most detailed account of the earliest events, like the incarnation and Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. It’s obvious that Luke spent a lot of time with Mary, since his gospel contains the most words spoken by her, than any of the other gospels. (Luke 1:46-55)

Scholars of archeology and ancient literature, rank Luke among the top historians of his time period, with well written accounts of Jesus, the apostles and the biography of Paul.

Luke was a friend and a partner to Paul, joining him in his missionary travels from Macedonia to Phillipi. 

He was among the few loyal companions who did not abandon Paul during his final imprisonment and death in Rome. After Paul’s martyrdom in the year 66 A.D., Luke never wavered in his courage or faith, and he continued to preach in the Mediterranean area. 

This brings us back to Luke’s friend, Theophilus. Everything Luke wrote was addressed to this one man, who he referred to in his letters as “most excellent”, indicating he was a high ranking official of some type.

So who is this friend of Luke called Theophilus?

Theophilus was an educated Greek gentile, just like Luke. They were homeboys from the same city of Antioch, and both were converts to Christianity. Theophilus might have been younger than Luke, since he was a leader in the city of Antioch well into the end of the 2nd century.

Scholars think that Theophilus was not only a leader, but a wealthy benefactor, who supported Paul and Luke on their missionary journeys. Historical records refer to Theophilus as the sixth bishop of Antioch and a Christian apologist during that 2nd century time period. Theophilus, might have eventually devoted himself to full time ministry, learning everything he knew from the letters of his good friend, Luke.

Luke’s letters became the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, in our bibles today. These two books give us the most detailed and informative account of events, from the birth of Jesus to the post Pentecost early church era. 

Luke probably never knew that his letters would become a part of sacred scripture. Sharing our faith and encouraging our friends can have results that go beyond what we could ever think or imagine, which only eternity will reveal. 

Theophilus’ name translates to

“friend of God” in Greek. The most enduring blessings in life begin with friendships that leads us closer to our friendship with God.

Luke was not only one of the writers of the New Testament but shows by example how friendship blesses beyond all expectations. He was Dr. Luke, a great doctor, a historian, biographer, a brilliant apologist who defended Christianity, and a beloved friend to Theophilus, Paul and many others.

Lord, thank you for Luke and his friendship with Theophilus and the apostles. Thank you for preserving his writing, which is a part of our bibles today. Give us the courage to follow his example and to become living, breathing gospel letters to our friends and to all we meet. Amen 

(A painting of Luke talking to Mary, gathering info)

“For 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 God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)

This year, in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado, in an area called Old Town Square, there was a nativity scene, until the day that baby Jesus was stolen out of his manger. The police department asked for the public’s help to find the missing statue.

Four days later, the statue was anonymously dropped off at the local fire station with a note of apology.  The surveillance video showed a teenage boy taking the baby out of the manger. In the spirit of mercy and forgiveness, the owners of the property, chose not to press charges. The boy’s remorse moved him to do the right thing, and everything ended well.

In thinking about that empty manger, I began to wonder how many people would really care if Jesus was permanently removed, not only from a manger scene, but from the whole Christmas holiday. 

What if Christmas was only about decorations, trees, lights, presents, food and family celebrations, but nothing at all about Jesus? There would be no church services, no Christmas carols, no Christmas story, no Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men or baby in a manger.

Celebrating Jesus at Christmas time will always be more meaningful to those who celebrate Him all year round. He wants to dwell in the manger of our hearts throughout the year, and when He does, it’s only natural to want to share His peace and joy with others. 

Without Christ, the world would be a very dark place. Jesus came to show us what His Father is really like, instead of the false perceptions people often have about Him. God loves us and longs to show His grace and mercy to all people, as was written by the prophet, Isaiah, long before the birth of Christ.

(Isaiah 30:18)

When we become overwhelmed with the troubles and sorrows of this world, it is “Christ in us”, who restores our hope. God wants everyone to know that He loves us and is with us in whatever we go through. 

When Jesus lives in the manger of our hearts, He is continually renewing our minds, restoring our hope, and helping us to see things through His perspective. All that happens in our lives, continues a transformative process of renewal that begins in the manger of our hearts. Scripture tells us that anyone who is in Christ, becomes a new creation.  (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

The manger is a rectangular box, used to put food in, for animals to eat out of. It’s no coincidence that a feeding place became a resting place for baby Jesus, since He later called Himself the bread of heaven, and the one who gives us rest. The baby in the manger grew up to become the source of spiritual nourishment and true rest for the world. 

Jesus still resides in the manger of our hearts, nourishing our faith and giving us peace, through all the ups and downs of this life. He still brings joy to all people just as the angel predicted, and no one can steal Him from the manger of our hearts. He is with us to stay. 

I recently heard a true story about an anonymous secret Santa. He is a retired, wealthy man, who, this year, decided to visit the victims of hurricane Helene in North Carolina. He approached people who had lost their homes, and were living in motels, and gave each person a couple hundred dollars in cash. He met others in parking lots or grocery stores and did the same thing for them. He offers cash and a hug, hoping to give people a bit of hope, after losing so much. 

God has called us to be children of light. His son will always reside in the manger of our hearts, renewing our minds, day by day as we find ways to bring hope to others, and dispel some of the darkness in this world. 

Lord, thank you for living in the manger within us, and as you transform and renew us, may we shine your light to others and spread the peace, love and joy that you have given us. Amen

“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” John 14:23 (NIV)

Christmas is a gift giving holiday, and a wonderful time to reflect on the greatest gifts ever given to the world, which began when the Son of God arrived as a human baby. Isaiah described this baby as bearing the titles, “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of peace.” In another chapter, Isaiah calls the baby, “Immanuel, God with us.”

An infant bearing all these lofty titles, indicates the mystery and miracle of of the incarnation, God with us, which is a beautiful thought to ponder, though something we may never fully comprehend.

God sent Jesus, in order to reveal more of Himself to us. Jesus told people whoever sees Him has seen His Father, words that eventually got Him killed. He showed us through His parables, the unconditional love that God has towards people in all sectors of society, especially the outcasts. The parable of the prodigal son revealed that God has the heart of a father towards us, and His love doesn’t change based on our goodness. He loves us with unconditional love, because He is a good Father. 

Jesus offers us the gift of His peace, saying “My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled.” His peace is the remedy for all troubled hearts. The world’s perception of peace is about acquiring things, and ridding ourselves of problems. The peace of Jesus is different. He dwells within us, so His peace remains with us through all the storms in our life. 

In today’s scripture, Jesus tells us that He and His Father are moving in with us. He uses first person plural, saying “We” will make our home with you. If God has moved in with us, then the kingdom of God is in us, and not just a far off place called heaven. God is living in us through His Spirit, the gift He sent ever since Pentecost. Jesus further explained how this “internal kingdom of Heaven” works.

He told us that He asked the Father to give us another helper, someone who will be with us forever, and that person is the Holy Spirit. Throughout  the 14th chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus seemed to define the roles of what He does, what His Father does, and what the Holy Spirit does.

He refers to the Holy Spirit as a person, saying, “The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17)

Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to know God, the Father, and Jesus, His Son. Anytime we pray, we reconnect to that kingdom of God living in us and working within us. The fruits of the kingdom within us are peace, love, joy, comfort, wisdom, discernment, and much more.

Sometimes I need to remind myself that He is within me even when I do something as mundane as standing in a crowded check out line, or driving through heavy traffic. He is in us when we are ill, or caring for our terminally ill loved one or visiting someone in the hospital. 

He is within us when we ask for His help and listen for His calming voice, during the most fearful or unstable moments in our life. He answers us deep within, assuring us “It’s going to be okay.” Jesus is like the veteran soldier, who already suffered every kind of human hardship that we could ever live through, and He will guide us safely to heaven, through His Spirit, who lives in us.

Jesus summed it all up by saying, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.” (John 14:20)

He wants us to realize that He has come to live with us and in us, and His Holy Spirit empowers us to keep trusting, knowing God is with us, as we share His gifts with others.

Lord, thank you for all the gifts you have given us, and help us to share your peace, love and joy with others every day, but in a special way this Christmas. Amen

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ❤️