Blog

         

         

Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on the 2023 Christmas season. This past Christmas season, I claimed a verse that is part of the Biblical Christmas narrative. It’s a verse you rarely, if ever, find on Christmas cards or in carols. The verse I repeated to myself (I even put it on the letter board in my kitchen so I wouldn’t forget to rehearse it) was Luke 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Did you realize that is part of the Biblical Christmas narrative? I am not sure that I did. I had heard and memorized that verse (it is nice and short!), but I was unsure of the context.

Here is how this verse was brought to my attention in a fresh way this past December.

If you were at church on Christmas Eve for the morning service, you witnessed a never-seen-before event. I was part of the Christmas drama and musical. The musical part is not unusual for me. I play instruments and sing, and I am excited to worship God with the gifts He has given me. When asked to be an angel in the summer months, I said yes, assuming I was a singing angel. Lo and behold, this angel would be part of the drama.

Oh no, this is not my gift. Whoa – this is way too much. Perhaps I will be sick. Maybe I will contract laryngitis. People! I was not expecting this and was obviously a little freaked out by this finding.

Once I calmed down, I went to God with this. He already knew my protests and why I thought this was a seemingly impossible situation. But He lovingly listens to the cries of His children’s hearts.

I started reading the lines from my scene derived from Luke 1. And, yes, this is where I landed on Luke 1:37. It was as if God was shining these words in a neon sign.

“Nothing will be impossible with God.”

These words are spoken by the angel Gabriel after he tells Mary that she will conceive and bear a son. Now, in Mary’s situation, this indeed was an impossible turn of events, humanly speaking. She was a virgin. There is no way she could be expecting a child! The angel tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Most High will overshadow her. The child to be born would be holy.

I must admit, the situation I felt to be impossible seems pretty minor in light of what Mary was asked to do! Mary’s response displays her faith in God’s plan. In Luke 1:38, Mary says, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary could have said – whoa, whoa, whoa, this plan is way too hard and ran. Instead, she chose to trust the plan of the Most High even though it stretched her way out of her comfort zone. Her life’s plans, her reputation in her village, and her engagement to Joseph all stood to be radically changed and potentially marred! Mary was a young girl (perhaps in her early teen years), but she knew who her God was, and she chose to obey Him regardless of how stretching the situation seemed at that moment.

Truly, my so-called dilemma was quite petty, considering Mary’s. However, God taught me much about my faith in the past few months. I often limit God and get in such a frenzy when I don’t understand His ways. Rehearsing that verse and remembering its context has been a valuable meditation for me through the Christmas season and into the beginning of 2024.

Update about the drama – I rehearsed my lines often. I fumbled through them at rehearsals. I kept reciting Luke 1:37 to myself (out loud and sometimes in my head). And, by the grace of God, I made it through the lines! He is a good God. Nothing is impossible with Him! There is no problem that is too insignificant or too large that you can’t bring to Him in prayer. He desires relationship with His children and loves to hear our prayers (Prov.15:8).

There are many other ways that I have seen God work in incredible ways despite seemingly impossible odds in my life. How quickly I forget that my God is ultimate in power and wisdom! The baby born in Bethlehem is The King; He rules over all situations and circumstances!

How have you witnessed God do the “impossible” in your life? Perhaps this week, you could share with a friend, family member or someone in your growth group how God has done the impossible for you.

Job 42:2 “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”

         

        

I missed Majors last week, in the fullest sense of the word.

         I was unable to attend, and I was stuck doing something unpleasant instead of meeting friends at the church for lunch and fellowship.

         I was cheered later to learn that people had missed me as well.

         As to the unpleasant bit, I was thumping uphill on a treadmill at an extremely efficient cardiac clinic while my friends back at Central were tucking into meatloaf and mashed potatoes. By my calculations, about the same time they were giving thanks before trooping into the gym to eat, I was silently praying for strength and peace while the lab techs were injecting dye into my arm and sticking electrodes to my chest.

         They call the procedure a stress test. The idea is to see if you can get your heart beating at (in my case) 95 per cent of their predicted maximum safe rate while they take a look at how well it functions.

         It took a while, but I achieved the 95 per cent without passing out, or worse. The techs were very pleased. “Good job!” they said as I was gasping for air.

         I had survived the stress test.

         “A joyful heart is good medicine,” says the Word of God.

         The writer of the proverb was not trying to produce a throwaway line suitable for a coffee cup, he was a realist. The verses before and after contain a litany of things that grieve the heart: family strife, wayward children, violence, arrogance, bitterness, selfishness, sickness, confusion, lies. The stuff of life in a fallen world.

         I think God is trying here to send us a signal. That there is a treatment available, good medicine, to help us not just survive but even overcome all of the stuff we face, the pain we suffer, the fears we harbour, the future we worry about. And he calls that medicine “a joyful heart.”

         The temptation is to scoff. “How can I possibly have a joyful heart? Look at my circumstances.”

         And here the Word of God agrees with you completely. To focus on yourself and your circumstances is the opposite of what you should do. Paul puts this bluntly in Romans 8:6 “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

         Christian, when you focus solely on the circumstances, no matter how dire, you are going the wrong way.

         Here is the biblical prescription, the good medicine, for the stress test of life:

         First: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

         Second: Run! Run to Jesus. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

         Third: Pray. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

         Four: Trust. “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

         Five: Remember that nothing in this life is forever so take the long view. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

         Six: Relax. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

         Good medicine. 

         When the cardiologist called me to his office to give me the verdict (he called it a consultation) I too had to follow the prescription to banish fearful thoughts (Maybe there’s something wrong. Maybe I need medication, or surgery or a heart transplant.)

“You’re good,” he said. Then he smiled and showed me the door.

A joyful heart is good medicine.

         

         What stands 12 inches tall, is made out of ceramic, has a light dusting of snow, and twinkling lights?

         You might say a ceramic Christmas tree, I say memories.

         I opened a box on Christmas day, a gift from my sweetheart. What was inside made me tear up with joy. It was that tree that I described. Why would something like that make me so emotional?

         Thirty years ago, when my mom moved here from B.C., she brought with her a ceramic Christmas tree that she had literally made herself in a ceramics class.

         Since there was no room for a standard tree in her apartment, that little tree was perfect. Every year she brought it out and stood it on her side table. She even managed to put a few presents around it as long as they were small.

         Every January, she packed all her decorations away in a Rubbermaid bin until the next year.

         She moved into my home eleven years later and her decorations remained packed away, she enjoyed ours instead.

         When she moved back to B.C. in 2010, there seemed no point in taking that bin with her to my sister’s home, so it stayed.

         Missing her that next Christmas, I made a point in getting out that old Rubbermaid bin, excited to put out her little Christmas tree, but it wasn’t there.

         I called my sisters and asked if they had it or knew where it was, neither of them knew what had happened to it.

         I think as we age, we become more nostalgic. We look back on things, some at the time seem inconsequential, but years later they seem more important.

         That is what happened with that little ceramic Christmas tree. It wasn’t that a piece of painted ceramic was important, it was that my mom had made it and she was important.

         This year Casey, aware of my fruitless search for that tree, got me one for Christmas. I appreciate that he thought hard trying to remember just what it looked like and hunted til he found just the right one. When I opened that box, I wasn’t just holding a bought ceramic Christmas tree, I was holding memories and that is what was so special.

         A tree covered in tiny lights and snow. I took it into the room we spend a lot of time in and turned it on. The tiny lights sparkled in all different colours. As I stared the little glowing tree my memories took me back to sitting in my mother’s living room where there was acceptance, and love and peace. Those feelings are just as palpable now as they were then.

         It reminds me of a verse in Galatians:

         Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,[23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV)

We’re at the beginning of a new year and I have packed that little tree away for now. (Goodness, I hope this one doesn’t disappear.)

         I realize that only God knows what the year will hold for us. But I also know that come what may the fruit of the Spirit is guaranteed to us. Ask, and you will receive.

         In John 16, Jesus tells his disciples that a time was coming that they would not see him, and that they would be sorrowful because he was gone. But then he says: John 16:22 … but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (ESV)

         So this year, whatever you face, whatever you do, let your hearts rejoice in Christ where you will find acceptance and love and peace, evermore.

         Welcome to 2024! This year we are gifted with one day more than last year. I still remember the rhyme I memorized in elementary school. It goes like this: 

Thirty days has September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one.
But February’s really great!
It only has twenty-eight.
Leap year comes once in four, Then February has one day more. 

Yes, this year is a leap year but why is it called ‘Leap Year’? What exactly are we leaping over? 

Well for all you math and science buffs, here’s the details:

The National Air and Space Museum of Washington DC states that “A calendar year is typically 365 days long. These so called “common years” loosely define the number of days it takes the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun. But 365 is actually a rounded number. It takes Earth 365.242190 days to orbit the Sun, or 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds. This “sidereal” year is slightly longer than the calendar year, and that extra 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds needs to be accounted for somehow. If we didn’t account for this extra time, the seasons would begin to drift. This would be annoying if not devastating, because over a period of about 700 years our summers, which we’ve come to expect in June in the northern hemisphere, would begin to occur in December! By adding an extra day every four years, our calendar years stay adjusted to the sidereal year.” 

So why is this sidereal year called a leap year? Think about the day Christmas occurred in 2023. It was a Monday, right? In 2024 it should be on a Tuesday but every four years Christmas “leaps” over a day and will now be on a Wednesday in 2024. As the rhyme goes, “once in four, one day more”. 

I praise the Lord God that He created the days, the nights, the years, and all the seasons in perfect harmony. In Genesis 1:14a it is written: “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.” In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth He also created the sun, moon, and stars to mark and measure time. God knew exactly how far to set the sun from the earth knowing that a few million kilometres more or less would alter our lives in significant ways. “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they existed, and were created.” Rev. 4:1 

What will you do with one more day in 2024? 

My challenge to you is to show the love of Jesus with an act of kindness, or an act of mercy, or a time of giving. This Year. Leap Year. One day more to be like Jesus. 

         

For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

         Five years ago, and two weeks before Christmas, my wife Cheryll and I travelled to Barrie to visit our youngest daughter Cathy, her husband Mark and two of our grandchildren Sam and Mavis. As we drove north on highway 400 there was plenty of snow on the ground and more as we got closer to our destination. When we arrived later in the afternoon, we had an early supper and Cathy had arranged for all of us to visit the Simcoe County Museum just outside the city.

         The museum is home to more than ten 19th century heritage buildings including a large log cabin, a train station, a one-room school house, blacksmith shop and a beautiful brick church. These pioneer structures have been relocated from various places in Simcoe County to the 327 acres of forested parkland.

         We entered the main museum building, paid a small fee, and viewed the vast array of exhibits in the five gallery indoor displays.

         As we headed outside, we climbed aboard a spacious horse-drawn sleigh. The scene in front of us was almost magical. In the still night, light snow had begun falling as the jingling horses pulled us along the fir lined pathways. Scores of oil lanterns on each side of the trails guided our way. Our first stop was an early settler church where we joined the choir along with many other people in singing carols.

         Our last stop for the evening was a unique glimpse from the annals of history. We came to a large open field. Deep trenches lined with sandbags had been dug on opposite sides of the field. We were guided into one trench occupied by British soldiers. On the other side of the field were German soldiers. We witnessed the reenactment of the Christmas Truce that took place during World War 1, Dec. 25, 1914.

         On Christmas Eve along a 20-mile stretch of the Western front, men from the British forces heard German troops in the opposite trenches singing carols. They also saw lanterns and small fir trees being displayed on top of the trenches. Both sides began shouting messages to each other and the following day the warring soldiers met with the understanding that “we won’t shoot if you don’t shoot”. They took photographs, exchanged handshakes, gifts and played impromptu games of football. Ceasefires were not observed everywhere and many officers were unhappy with the spontaneous truce and worried that it would undermine a fighting spirit. But for a brief moment in time, peace on earth and good will toward men was observed in scattered pockets within the killing fields of Europe.

         Nearly 20 million died and entire empires vanished during the Great War. The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919 and established the League of Nations. People were jubilant. Nothing so terrible could ever happen again because the 28th of June was the day that a new history would begin.

         Twenty years later on September, 1939 World War 2 began. There never really has been peace on earth at least in the sense we think of it. Wars and rumours of wars have characterized this world since the first Christmas as well as all the time before it. At the birth of Christ the angels pronounced peace on earth in Luke 2:14. They were speaking primarily of a very personal, individual application of God’s peace. It was a proclamation that God’s peace is available to men and women and God is pleased with the people who yield their lives to The Saviour.

         Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah 9:7